ESPE Abstracts

Background: In recent years a special interest of researchers is focused on questions related to the early stages of the formation of food behavior (FB), considering their close connection with socially significant problems of the present - obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular pathology, etc.

Aims: To assess the characteristics of the children’ nutritional behavior, taking into account the level of physical development at birth.

Methods: A research of 122 parents was conducted using the Child Eating Behavior Questionare (CEBQ) (Wardle, 2001). The questionare was filled out by the mother and additionally contained information on the anthropometric indicators of the child and parents. The average age of the mothers at the time of questioning was 30.0 (28.0; 33.0) years. The study included healthy full-term babies aged 13 to 36 months of life. According to the weight at birth children were divided into 3 groups of observation: group 1 – LGA (n = 52, BW 4315.3±263.7 g, length 55.6±1.4 cm), group 2 – SGA (n = 34, BW 2459.4±202.6 g, length 47.3±2.5 cm), group 3 – AGA (n = 36, BW 3345.0±225.8 g, length 52.1±1.6 cm). The umbilical cord leptin was 11.1 [4.7; 32.7], 3.4 [1.2; 4.9], 5.0 [2.3; 9.01] ng/ml, respectively (p_1-3=0.001, p_1-2= 0.024).

Results: In children group 1 BW was 13.8 (12.1; 15.0) kg, z-score BW 1.2 (0.8; 1.7). Similar values in infants group 2 were 11.0 (10.1; 12.5) kg, -0.6 (-1.3; 0.6). In group 3 median BW was 12.4 (11.7; 14.0) kg, z-score BW 0.7 (0.0; 1.2). Comparative analysis of mean values according to the scales of the CEBQ showed statistically significant differences (р=0.008) in the age of 1 to 3 years for DD for children group 2 (2.30(1.70;4.00)) with children group 3(1.85(1.70;2.30)). In infants group 2, a negative correlation between BW (r_s= -0.361, р=0.036) and z-score BW (r_s= -0.366, р=0.033) with EF was found. In group 1 mother’s weight and BMI had an effect on SE (r_s= -0.351, р=0.011; r_s= -0.346, р=0.012), positive correlation between the level of cord blood leptin and FR was revealed (r_s= 0.312, р=0.04). The correlation between FR and EOE was stronger among infants group 1 in comparison with other children (r₁=0.695, r₂=0.612, r₃=0.415, р<0.05).

Conclusions: Specific features of FB formation among LGA and SGA children have been established. Analysis and timely correction of eating behavior and the diet of children should be carried out from the infancy.