ESPE Abstracts

Background: Infantile obesity is nowadays a pandemic disease and needs a paediatrician interventional attitude. Since 1990 until 2010 it has trebled and the World Health Organization recommends prevention ‘as soon as possible’ even during the first year of life. A Spanish study (Aladino 2011) stimated the prevalence of overweight in boys as a 26.3% and in girls a 25.9% and the prevalence of obesity as a 22% and a 16.2% respectively. Our aim was to set up a new score to be applied to the newborn at birth, calculating risk of obesity, and to be correlated with the obesity/overweight future outcomes. There is not a precedent of using this kind of tool in the Spanish population. Our hypothesis is that the child’s background can predict obesity during infancy and consequently adulthood.

Patients and methods: The study population consisted of healthy newborns recruited at two healthcare centres of two districts in the area of Barcelona. The score was calculated adding the punctuation obtained in three sections: i) family background (4–27 points) (social, job state, career education, toxic habits, and obesity in parents), ii) prenatal (1–7 points) (ponderal gain and complications during pregnancy), and iii) neonatal (1–4) determinants (birthweight adjusted for sex and gestational age). The highest score possible is 38 points, meaning higher risk of obesity in the future and the lowest six points. The patients are planned to be followed in clinics ten times over the 4 years of life and will be divided at random into two groups: one receiving usual care advices and the other receiving gradually additional information about a healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity.

Preliminary results: A total of 96 healthy newborns have been already recruited (59.8% male) during a period of 6 months with a birthweight mean of 3323 gr (± 0.416). The total mean score was 11.4 (±3.4) and if we consider the different sections of the score the results expressed by mean ± S.E.M. are: family background 8.7 (±3.1), prenatal factors 2.2 (±0.08) and, neonatal factors 0.6 (±0.1). In this sample there was no association found between the total score either the Family Background section and birthweight.

Conclusion: This study is the first relating a new score with birthweight, pointing that infantile obesity is not programmed at birth, but is built during the firsts years of life. So on, following up these children and offering some interventions will help us to better understand the origins of this new pandemic.