Prenatal, postnatal and family factors related to overweight and obesity in adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: The influence of risk factors for overweight is most pronounced in the first thousand days of life and is evident in the individual's health at later stages. Objective: To determine the association of prenatal, postnatal, and family factors with overweight and obesity in adolescents.

Methods: A retrospective study included 343 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years from the ¨Héroes del Moncada¨ University Polyclinic, Plaza de la Revolución municipality, from June 2023 to June 2024. Anthropometric measurements of weight and height were performed, and nutritional status was assessed according to body mass index percentiles. Prenatal and postnatal variables were obtained by reviewing obstetric and postnatal medical records. Analysis was performed using contingency tables and associations with contingency coefficients.

Results: 22.4% of adolescents were overweight or obese. The prenatal variables that showed the greatest association with overweight were chronic maternal hypertension (p<0.001), contingency coefficient=0.186, and smoking (p=0.009), contingency coefficient=0.139. The postnatal variable that showed the greatest association was the introduction of foods before six months (p<0.001), contingency coefficient=0.226. Family size was associated with excess weight (p=0.043), contingency coefficient=0.134.

Conclusions: moderate associations were detected between prenatal, postnatal and family variables and overweight and obesity. As a whole, postnatal variables were the most associated with overweight and obesity in adolescence.