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The association between changes in height and obesity in Chilean preschool children: 1996-2004

Sanja Stanojevic1, Juliana Kain, Ricardo Uauy

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. s.stanojevic@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|April 12, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Chilean preschool children show decreasing stunting and increasing height. Tall children are protected from obesity, while stunting is not a significant risk factor, indicating a unique relationship between stature and obesity in this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health
  • Growth Monitoring

Background:

  • Childhood obesity and stunting are significant public health concerns.
  • Understanding the relationship between growth parameters and obesity is crucial for effective interventions.
  • Chilean preschool children's nutritional status has been monitored over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between changes in height and obesity prevalence in Chilean preschool children from 1996 to 2004.
  • To analyze trends in stunting and tall stature within this population.
  • To determine if stature influences obesity risk in preschool-aged children.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of children in the Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles (JUNJI) preschool program.
  • Routine anthropometric measurements taken multiple times annually.
  • Obesity defined using weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ) and BMI centiles.
  • Stature assessed using height-for-age z-scores (HAZ).
  • Generalized estimating equations used to analyze the relationship between stature and obesity.

Main Results:

  • Obesity prevalence remained relatively constant between 1996 and 2004.
  • Prevalence of stunting (HAZ ≤ 2) decreased, while tall stature (HAZ > 2) increased.
  • Stunted children did not show an increased risk of obesity when using WHZ.
  • Tall children demonstrated a strong protective effect against obesity.

Conclusions:

  • The study highlights a unique relationship between stature and obesity in preschool children, differing from older age groups.
  • The diminishing association between stunting and obesity suggests Chile is in a post-nutritional transition phase.
  • Further research may be needed to refine criteria (WHZ or BMI) for defining overweight in preschool populations.
Abstract

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