title: The association of excessive growth with development of general and central obesity at 7 years of age in every period after birth in Chilean children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether overweight or obesity between 0 and 6 y increases the probability of developing general/central obesity at 7 y.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight, height, and waist circumference were assessed between 0 and 6 y in 628 Chilean children. Body mass index, incidence of overweight (IOW), incidence of obesity (IOB), and prevalence at birth and 0 to 6, 6 to 24, 24 to 48, and 48 to 72 mo and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for developing obesity/central obesity at 84 mo were calculated by sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IOW was highest at 6 to 24 mo (20.3% and 21.1% for girls and boys, respectively); IOB was highest at 6 to 24 and 24 to 48 mo (11% and 10%, respectively). OR for developing obesity at 7 y was significant if overweight was present 24 to 48 mo in girls and 6 to 24 mo in boys OR 2.47 [95% CI, 1.5-4] and OR 2.26 [95% CI, 1.30-3.92], respectively, and much higher for children who were obese, OR 6.1 (95% CI, 3.03-12.21) for girls 6 to 24 mo and OR 6.57 (95% CI, 2.55-16.86) for boys 0 to 6 mo. IOW or IOB was not associated with obesity at 84 mo, except for the previous period. Overweight also increased the risk of central obesity very early on, after 6 mo in girls and after birth in boys OR 3.8 [95% CI, 2.3-6.2] and OR 2.5 [95% CI, 2.04-3] at 6 to 24 and 0 to 6 mo, respectively, whereas obesity in all periods was associated with a significantly higher OR of presenting central obesity at 7 y.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is tracking not only of obesity but also of overweight after birth for developing general or central obesity at 7 y. Prevention should begin very early on.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Electronic address: jkain@inta.uchile.cl.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kain
authors.affiliation: Statistics, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Close
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uauy
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corvalán
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012923:Social Class; D055105:Waist Circumference
keywords: Childhood obesity; Chile; Incidence; Prevalence; Tracking