STUDIO LONGITUDINALE MULTICENTRICO PER LA VALUTAZIONE DI FATTORI PRENATALI E POSTNATALI PRECOCI CORRELABILI AL RISCHIO DI SOVRAPPESO E OBESITÀ INFANTILE

Title: longitudinal and multicentre study and evaluation of the pre and early postnatal factors associated with the risk of childhood overweight and obesity. Location: Italy, Lombardia, centres for the monitoring of infants' body weight in Monza e Brianza ASL. Aim: evaluation of the anthropometric variations in children up to 6-7 months of life and their association with pre and postnatal factors. Study design and duration: multicentre cohort study. Subjects enrolled between March and October 2013 had been measured until the seventh month of life in four occasions. Inclusion criteria: mothers with children within 60 days of life, who attended the centres to monitor the growth of their children; the only exclusion criterion was the ignorance of the Italian language. Data collection: weight and length assessment, self-administration of a questionnaire. Statistical methods: 171 mother-child dyads. The anthropometric prenatal and parental data had been expressed as standard deviation score with the aim of removing the effects of age, sex and number of previous deliveries. The role of a set of covariates on the evolution of parental roles, breastfeeding and weaning has been analyzed with a generalised linear mixed model, based on binomial distribution and link logit. Weight growth (expressed as SDS) has been analyzed with an analogous linear mixed model, based on Gaussian distribution and identity link. Conclusions: the analysis showed that some prenatal factors and obstetrical variables, such as BMI and weight gain, have a direct role in determining the growth trends. These factors may be modified by the preventive approach that caracterises midwifery. Birthweight affects both maternal feeding choices for their children and growth trends. The study highlighted the role of father and health professionals of family care health centers, who can affect growth trend or growth related feeding choices, such as weaning timing.