Introduction: According to epidemiological investigations, association between birth weight and overweight and obesity in childhood/adolescence is ambiguous.
Aim: The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between birth weight and overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence.
Methods: Birth and actual anthropometric data of school children and secondary school students from metropolitan schools were analyzed. Overweight/obesity were established by standardized (sex, age) body mass index, and obesity also by body fat percent.
Results: Data of 1,334, 7- to 19-year-old children and adolescents (725 boys and 609 girls) were evaluated. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was similar in the case of persons with low (19.36%) and normal birth weight (18.96%), while in the case of persons with high birth weight this rate was 25.98%. Based on body fat percent, the prevalence of obesity in the latter group was also higher than in groups with low and normal birth weight (18.11% vs. 12.89% and 12.66%).
Conclusions: Among macrosomic babies the rate of overweight and obesity is higher than among normal or low-birth-weight babies, particularly in childhood.