Prevalence and socio-demographic associations of undernutrition and obesity among preschool children in Cyprus

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of undernutrition and obesity in preschool children in Cyprus and identify possible associations. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Private and public nursery schools. Subjects: A representative sample (n ¼ 1412) stratified by age, gender, district and area of residence. Interventions: Weight (kg) and height (cm) were obtained and BMI (kg/m 2 ) was calculated. Z scores for weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height were calculated using the cutoffs from the CDC/WHO 1978 reference. Sociodemographic associations with nutritional status were examined in a logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of undernutrition (WHO definition, Z-scores oÀ2) was low. Specifically the prevalence of underweight was 2.3%, wasting 2.8%, and stunting 1.1%. Undernutrition was associated with a low birth weight (LBW); odds ratio (OR) for underweight 4.1 (95% CI: 1.4, 12.2), P ¼ 0.012, stunting 5.2 (95% CI: 1.1, 23.3), P ¼ 0.033, and wasting 4.2 (95% CI: 1.3, 14.3), P ¼ 0.021.The prevalence of obesity (IOTF definition) was higher than undernutrition, and increased with age: 1.3% in 2 y olds to 10.4% in 6 y olds. Overweight and obesity prevalence were higher in rural (16.1%) than urban children (12.8%; P ¼ 0.046). Obesity in preschool children was associated with paternal obesity, OR 3.24 (95% CI: 1.59, 6.61), P ¼ 0.001, and maternal obesity 3.91 (95% CI: 1.78, 8.59), P ¼ 0.001. A birth weight (BW)Z4000 g was associated with obesity compared to a BW between 2501 and 3000 g, OR 7.63 (95% CI: 1.91, 30.52), P ¼ 0.004. Conclusions: The prevalence of undernutrition among preschool children in Cyprus was low but obesity prevalence was higher. Parental obesity and high BW were significantly associated with obesity while LBW was associated with undernutrition in preschool children.

Prevalence and determinants of childhood overweight and obesity in European countries: pooled analysis of the existing surveys within the IDEFICS Consortium

“…[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Data were cleaned and harmonized and resulted in a common database composed of homogeneously measured variables collected in children of two age ranges (4-5 and 9-11 years). Only surveys using BMI as criterion for the assessment of overweight/ obesity were included.…”

“…In particular, the studies available were conducted in Belgium, 12 Cyprus (three separate surveys, indicated as Cyprus A, 13 Cyprus B, 14 and Cyprus C 15 , and unpublished data provided by M Tornaritis), Estonia, 16 Italy [17][18] and Sweden. 19 Details of each single study were reported in previously published papers.…”

“…19 Details of each single study were reported in previously published papers. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] In all the previous surveys, approval of the local ethical committee was obtained. In Cyprus, approval for the studies was granted by the Ministry of Health and Ministry Education and Culture.…”

Meningitis in Children: A Study in Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata

“…Nutritional status of the children was assessed by using the weight for age criterion. In this study undernutrition was defined as weight for age of a child less than 3 rd percentile of the sex specific weight for age of Indian children 6,7,8 . The data collected were analyzed and tabulated using frequency distribution tables as proportions/ percentages and suitable diagrams.…”

Factors associated with stunting and overweight in Amazonian children: a population-based, cross-sectional study

“…Therefore, assessing nutritional status in childhood is essential for planning preventive actions, as evidenced by several studies showing that early exposure of children to malnutrition could be associated with changes in body composition during adolescence (9,10) and adulthood (8) . Studies investigating the determinants of stunting and overweight have been conducted in developed and developing countries (11,12) , highlighting the importance of socio-economic status and maternal health factors. However, little is known about the influence of micronutrient deficiencies, inflammation indicators and dyslipidaemias on stunting or overweight among children (13,14) .…”