NC is an accurate tool for assessing overweight and obesity in males and females of different age groups and could be used to screen for excess body weight in routine medical practice or epidemiological studies. It is also believed that more studies will permit the creation of a reference dataset of NC cut-off values for world populations.

The main predictors for excess birth weight in Brazil are modifiable risk factors. The implementation of adequate nutritional status in the gestational period and even after childbirth appears to be due to the quality and frequency of the follow-up of the mothers and their children by public health agencies.

Breast-feeding for a longer duration has a parallel protective effect on the risk of excess body weight in mother-child pairs two years after birth. Since members of the same family could be influenced by the same risk factors, continued promotion and support of breast-feeding may help to attenuate the rising prevalence of overweight in mother-child pairs.

Objectives To study the independent effect of pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain (GWG), and other important risk factors on newborn birth weight. Methods Baseline data of 435 adult women and their singletons born between January and February 2012 at a public hospital in Brazil were used. Logistic regression was applied to determine the independent importance of pre-pregnancy weight and GWG for large for gestational age (LGA) newborns. Results Among all mothers, 37.9 % were overweight and obese before pregnancy and 45.3 % experienced excessive GWG. Among the newborns, 24.4 % were classified as LGA. Univariate analysis showed an association of family income, GWG, pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG with LGA newborns. Smoking before and during pregnancy was associated with a decreased likelihood of giving birth to an LGA newborn compared to mothers who did not smoke. After adjustment for confounding variables, age at birth of first child, GWG, HbA1c and pre-pregnancy weight-GWG were significant and independent determinants of giving birth to an LGA newborn. Mothers with pre-pregnancy overweight and excessive GWG were more likely to deliver an LGA newborn (OR 2.54, P < 0.05) compared to mothers who were normal weight and experienced adequate GWG. Conclusions for Practice Age at first birth of child, GWG, HbA1c and pre-pregnancy overweight combined with excessive GWG are independent determinants of LGA newborns. The results of this study suggest that both primary prevention of overweight in women of childbearing age and management of GWG may be important strategies to reduce the number of LGA newborns and, consequently, the long-term public health burden of obesity.

Resumo: Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a importância do tipo de aleitamento no risco de excesso de peso de crianças entre 12-24 meses de idade. Trata-se de um estudo de coorte que incluiu 435 crianças nascidas em 2012 em uma maternidade pública de Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Dois anos após o parto, as mães e seus filhos foram contatados nas residências para uma nova coleta de dados. Na análise não ajustada, crianças que não receberam aleitamento materno exclusivo apresentaram maior risco de desenvolver excesso de peso aos dois anos de idade (OR = 1,6; p = 0,049), quando comparadas às crianças amamentadas exclusivamente. Mesmo após o ajuste para diversas covariáveis, o risco das crianças não amamentadas exclusivamente apresentarem excesso de peso aumentou 12% em relação à análise não ajustada (OR = 2,6 vs. OR = 1,8; p = 0,043). Adicionalmente, o peso ao nascer também mostrou ser um determinante independente do risco de excesso de peso (OR = 2,5; p = 0,002). A prática do aleitamento materno exclusivo pode reduzir o risco de excesso de peso em crianças de países em desenvolvimento como o Brasil.