title: Perinatal and family factors associated with preadolescence overweight/obesity in Greece: the GRECO study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore associations of perinatal and family factors with preadolescence overweight and obesity in a sample of Greek schoolchildren.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationwide cross-sectional study among 2093 students (10.9 ± 0.72 years, 44.9% boys) and their parents were conducted. Anthropometric (e.g., height, weight, mother's body mass index (BMI) at the time of the study and at conception), socio-demographic (e.g., age, education, socio-economic status), diet and other major lifestyle characteristics (e.g., smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and inactivity) and perinatal factors (e.g., breast- and formula-feeding) were collected with validated questionnaires. Height and weight of students were measured. Overweight/obesity was classified using IOTF cut-offs. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were used to identify major independent factors of overweight/obesity among preadolescents and factors related with the percentage change of mother's BMI, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased age at pregnancy [odds ratios (OR)=0.95, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.93-0.97], higher BMI at conception (OR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.12-1.22) and heavy smoking (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.23-3.33) were positively associated with child's overweight/obesity status. Moreover, mother's age and TV viewing, indicating inactivity, were the strongest factors of the percentage increase in mother's BMI (b ± se = 0.23 ± 0.07, p = 0.002; b ± se=0.32 ± 0.10, p = 0.002, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preadolescent obesity is associated with mother's pre-pregnancy weight, age and heavy smoking at conception and mother's BMI change after gestation.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Grigoris
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Risvas
authors.forename: Ivi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.forename: Demosthenes B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farajian
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bountziouka
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zampelas
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescence; Obesity; Pre- and post-natal factors