Birth weight and overweight or obesity risk in children under 3 years in China

Abstract

Higher levels of birth weight were associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity among Chinese children from 6 months to 3 years of age.

Birth weight and childhood obesity: a 12-country study

“…A recent Chinese study including very large samples (1703 children with low birth weight and 55 925 children in total) assessed the association of birth weight with the risk of obesity in children aged o 3 years. 18 Results showed a positive association between birth weight and childhood obesity, indicating that low levels of birth weight, defined as birth weight o 2500 g, were associated with a decreased risk of childhood obesity, and higher Data are means (s.d.) or number (percentage).…”

“…Some studies have assessed the association between low birth weight and the risk of childhood obesity, and the results are controversial 7,8,10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Several studies have found that low birth weight was associated with a reduced risk of childhood obesity. 15,[17][18][19] However, other studies have indicated no association, 7,12,14 or an increased risk of obesity with low birth weight. 10,13 The present study was underpowered to identify any association between low birth weight and children obesity.…”

“…Most past studies have found a significant and positive association between birth weight and childhood obesity risk. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] A population-based cohort study from Denmark indicated an increased risk of overweight for children 6-13 years of age with birth weight ⩾ 4.0 kg compared with those with birth weight between 3.0 and 3.49 kg. 12 Another Chinese birth cohort found that children with higher birth weight ⩾ 3500 g had an increased odds of childhood overweight at 3-6 years of age compared with those having birth weight of 3000-3249 g. 15 A meta-analysis of 66 studies from 26 countries demonstrated that high birth weight (44000 g) was positively associated with increased odds of childhood overweight (OR 1.66; 95% CI: 1.55-1.77) compared with normal birth weight (2500-4000 g).…”

“…[4][5][6] Several studies have indicated that high birth weight is associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] However, few studies have examined the extent to which birth weight is associated with obesity in young school children in high-, middle-and low-income countries. Moreover, the association between low birth weight and the risk of childhood obesity is controversial.…”

“…Moreover, the association between low birth weight and the risk of childhood obesity is controversial. 7,8,10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Several studies have suggested that maternal and child factors, such as maternal history of gestational diabetes, infant feeding mode, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), diet, sedentary and sleeping times may confound the association between birth weight and later risk of childhood obesity, 20-22 yet few studies were able to adjust for these factors simultaneously. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the association between birth weight and the risk of obesity in 9-11-year-old children from 12 countries, adjusting for several confounding variables.…”