Topic 3 Risk factors

Obesity is a chronic condition that results from an interconnection between genetic and environmental factors.

  • PRENATAL AND EARLY CHILDHOOD RISK FACTORS
  • COMMON RISK FACTORS
  • SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACILITATORS

PRENATAL AND EARLY CHILDHOOD RISK FACTORS

  • Maternal BMI: if kept within the normal range in the period prior to gestation can prevent the pathology in the child
  • Cigarette smoking and the incorrect use of antibiotics: associated with a higher adiposity of the child at birth, which is associated with a higher BMI from 2 to 6 years of life.
  • A high birth weight
  • Absence of breastfeeding
  • High intake of simple sugars
  • Insufficient duration of sleep

Larqué et al., “From conception to infancy — early risk factors for childhood obesity,” Nat. Rev. Endocrinol., vol. 15, no. 8, pp. 456–478, 2019

5 key messages for clinicians:

  1. Strive for a healthy weight before pregnancy.
  2. Don’t smoke during pregnancy.
  3. Aim for a reasonable weight gain during pregnancy.
  4. Breastfeed (preferably without other liquids for 4-6 months and some breastfeeding for at least 12 months).
  5. Ensure infants get adequate sleep during the first few years of life.

COMMON RISK FACTORS

  • Poor diet
  • Sedentary lifestyle

SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACILITATORS

  • Socioeconomic adversity (maternal intimate partner violence, child maltreatment and neglect, maternal depression and maternal drug use, financial hardship)
  • Offspring stress
  • Emotional turmoil

The individual will naturally seek relief from these uncomfortable states through the brain-reward system

S. Weihrauch-Blüher and S. Wiegand, “Risk Factors and Implications of Childhood Obesity,” Curr. Obes. Rep., vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 254–259, 2018