title: Association between birth weight and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Birth weight (BW) is a medium- and long-term risk determinant of cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between BW and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents of the city of Salvador, Bahia state.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study with comparison of BW groups. Sample comprising 250 adolescents classified according to the BMI as follows: high-normal (> 50th percentile and < 85th percentile); overweight (> 85th percentile and < 95th percentile); and obesity (> 95th percentile). The risk variables compared were as follows: waist circumference (WC); arterial blood pressure; lipid profile; glycemia; serum insulin; HOMA-IR; and metabolic syndrome. The BW was informed by parents and classified as follows: low (BW < 2,500g); normal (BW > 2,500g and < 4,000g); and high (BW > 4,000g).
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and fifty-three (61.2%) girls, age 13.74 ± 2.03 years, normal BW 80.8%, low BW 8.0%, and high BW 11.2%. The high BW group as compared with the normal BW group showed a higher frequency of obesity (42.9%, p=0.005), elevated SBP and DBP (42.9%, p=0.000 and 35.7%, p=0.007, respectively), and metabolic syndrome (46.4%, p=0.002). High BW adolescents as compared with normal BW adolescents had a prevalence ratio for high SBP 3.3 (95% CI: 1.7-6.4) and obesity 2.6 (95% CI: 1.3-5.2). The WC of high BW adolescents was 83.3 ± 10.1 (p=0.038). The lipid profile showed no statistically significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that obesity, elevated SBP and DBP, and metabolic syndrome during adolescence might be associated with high BW.
authors.affiliation: Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA, Brazil. amenaidecarvalho@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maria Amenaide Carvalho Alves de
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Isabel Cristina Britto
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daltro
authors.forename: Armênio Costa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference