title: [Association between body mass index (BMI) and height from birth to 5 years in Chilean preschool children].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been shown that excess weight gain during childhood is associated with a greater risk of obesity; this relationship may be mediated by growth in height.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the associations between z scores for body mass index (BMIZ) and height for age (HAZ) from birth to 5 years of age and to assess how this association varies according to age and adiposity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight and height were recorded at 11 occasions from birth on a cohort of 1089 Chilean five year-old children with a birth weight > 2500 g. BMI, BMIZ, HAZ and prevalence of obesity were calculated. We determined the cross-sectional association between BMIZ and HAZ for the total sample and by 3 BMI Z categories, using Pearson correlation. We determined the probability of obesity according to four HAZ categories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obesity increased continuously reaching approximately 16% at 5 years. Stunting was virtually nonexistent. No association between BMIZ and HAZ was observed at birth, while at 1 and 2 months, leaner infants had lower stature. No association between these parameters was observed between 6-24 months, while after 3 years, a clear relationship was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The probability of a preschool child of being obese is less than 10% with a HAZ is < 0. Nevertheless, children with heights above the median (even within the normal range) have an increased risk of obesity, especially after 3 y of age. Between 0-5 years, the relationship between weight and height varies by age and adiposity.
authors: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. jkain@inta.uchile.cl
authors: Juliana
authors: J
authors: Kain
authors: Camila
authors: C
authors: Corvalán
authors: Lydia
authors: L
authors: Lera
authors: Marcos
authors: M
authors: Galván
authors: Gerardo
authors: G
authors: Weisstaub
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Uauy
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence