Outcomes that explain excess of body fat mass in preschoolers: a cross-sectional exploratory study

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity requires approaches that combine personal interventions with social and environmental changes. The preschool period is crucial in the context of the expansion of adipose tissue since it covers the adiposity rebound. Although emerging studies verifying a range of possible social, environmental, and personal explanatory variables for childhood obesity, the assessment of body fat mass using a gold standard instrument, is still a gap especially during the preschool period. The aim of this study was to determine social, environmental, and personal factors associated to the excess of body fat mass in preschool period. Methods: Quantitative, exploratory, cross-sectional study developed in public schools. Results: Analyzes using univariate and multivariate models demonstrated that parental obesity, highest quality of environmental stimulation and screen time explained almost 50% the excess of body fat mass in preschoolers. Conclusion: The presence of obesity in one parent, a home environment with high stimulation, and permanence for a long period on-screen are outcomes strongly associated with the presence of an excess of body fat mass in the preschool period. These findings may assist the development of public guidelines focusing on child health to outline effective strategies that contribute to the quality of life and treatment of preschoolers with excess body fat mass.

Healthy lifestyles and physical fitness are associated with abdominal obesity amongLatin‐Americanand Spanish preschool children: A cross‐cultural study

“…60 In this regard, the nutritional quality of the foods consumed and eating behaviours are related since diets rich in animal products, protein, fat, sugar, and salt were associated with an excess of fat mass. 4 On the other hand, Chilean children displayed worse results of AO and several factors could have explained this finding. The ST (3-5 h/day) and PA after school (0-2 h/week) reported a positive association with AO in Chilean children.…”

“…Children with high adherence to the MD were especially less likely to be overweight or have obesity 60 . In this regard, the nutritional quality of the foods consumed and eating behaviours are related since diets rich in animal products, protein, fat, sugar, and salt were associated with an excess of fat mass 4 …”

“…It should be noted that the preschool age (2–4 years old) is very important in the development of adipose tissue, as it covers the rebound of adiposity 4 . Especially, Abdominal obesity (AO) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in preschoolers 5 .…”

“…Although obesity is primarily the result of an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, 8 the explanations for AO in preschool children are various, including parental obesity (i.e., familial inheritance), screen time (ST) or sedentary behaviour, PA (particularly moderate‐to‐vigorous PA), parents education, birth weight of children, 9 low socioeconomic status of parents, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) or physical fitness, as a consequence of PA patterns 9–12 . It is noteworthy that changes in the global food system with caloric intake, high periods of low PA, and sedentary time are identified as the main predictors of obesity in preschool children 4 …”

“…[9][10][11][12] It is noteworthy that changes in the global food system with caloric intake, high periods of low PA, and sedentary time are identified as the main predictors of obesity in preschool children. 4 The food habits of children are determinant factors that influence the development of obesity. 13 There is evidence that adherence to the MD is associated with positive effects on specific components of health, 14 and it has an influence on health in later life.…”