Low birth weight (LBW<2500), very low birth weight (VLBW<1500), extremely low birth weight (ELBW<1500) infants are at high risk for growth failure that result in delayed development. Africa is a continent that presents high rates of children born with LBW, VLBW and ELBW particularly sub-Saharan Africa. To review the existing literature that explores the repercussions of LBW, VLBW and ELBW on growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality in African children aged 0-5 years old. A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles using Academic Search Complete in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus and Scholar Google. Quantitatives studies that investigated the association between LBW, VLBW, ELBW with growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality, published between 2008 and 2015 were included. African studies with humans were eligible for inclusion. From the total of 2205 articles, 12 articles were identified as relevant and were subsequently reviewed in full version. Significant associations were found between LBW, VLBW and ELBW with growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality. Surviving VLBW and ELBW showed increased risk of death, growth retardation and delayed neurodevelopment. Post-neonatal interventions need to be carried out in order to minimize the short-term effects of VLBW and ELBW.

Background: Overweight/obesity during adolescence in lower-middle income countries has become a public health problem with consequences in adulthood. Inadequate dietary habits, poor diet quality, sedentary behavior, and parental obesity have been reported. Objective: To describe management of obesity-like food habits and behavior of adolescents from lower-middle income countries with respect to what keeps them using this diet (barriers) and what helps them avoid it (enablers). Methods: Systematic review of the literature related to obesity and food intake of adolescents conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Results: We classified 11 eligible studies describing the barriers to and enablers of the management of obesity-like food intake and obesity lifestyle. The dual burdens of malnutrition and increased urbanization have been observed. There is preference for processed food, dietary habits, and obesity-like food intake and sedentary behavior. Barriers to managing body weight gain included mostly consumption of fast-food and snack food, less vegetable and fruit intake, skipping meals, and sedentary behavior. Enablers of managing body weight gain included changes in nutritional habits, perception of the consumption of healthy food, physical activity, and engagement in programs to change lifestyle. Conclusion: The globalization of the fast food industry has provided an obesogenic environmental stimulus for adolescents in lower-middle income countries.

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LBW seems to be the major factor that influences anthropometry, and is a predictor of low muscle strength and low performance on sideways movement tests. This result suggests that growth faltering in LBW children is associated with adverse health consequences, even after controlling for gender, age, fatness, and body size.