Birth weight and nutritional status in school‐age children from Boane city, Mozambique

Birth weight and nutritional status in school‐age children from Boane city, Mozambique

Background Birth weight is considered an important marker of inadequate maternal nutrition, and it is a critical indicator of the newborn's health and development. Objective This study evaluated the influence of low birth weight (LBW) on body composition in 7–10‐year‐old school children from Bo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of human biology Vol. 36; no. 8; pp. e24072 - n/a
Main Authors: Malinga, Eulálio, Leandro, Carol Góis, Almeida Araujo, Fernanda Trigueiro, Santos Henrique, Rafael, Tchamo, Mario Eugénio, Silva, Wylla Tatiana Ferreira
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-08-2024
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:
Age
Anthropometry
Birth Weight
Body Composition
Body fat
Body height
Body weight
Child
Children
Environmental factors
Female
Humans
Indicators
Infant, Low Birth Weight
Low birth weight
Male
Mozambique
Nutrition
Nutritional Status
Physical activity
Public policy
Mozambique
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Summary:Background Birth weight is considered an important marker of inadequate maternal nutrition, and it is a critical indicator of the newborn's health and development. Objective This study evaluated the influence of low birth weight (LBW) on body composition in 7–10‐year‐old school children from Boane City—Mozambique. Methods A total of 220 children (female = 122 and male = 98) were divided into two groups according to their birth weight (LBW, n = 41; and normal birth weight, NBW, n = 179). Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status were analyzed by the indices weight‐for‐age, height‐for‐age, BMI‐for‐age, and weight‐for‐height. Results LBW children showed reduced skinfolds, and weight‐for‐height when compared to NBW children. Birth weight was positively associated with all anthropometric variables, except for BMI, which was not associated with any other variable. The r2 value ranged from .09 (weight‐for‐age) to .72 (height‐for‐age). For body composition variables, older children had higher fat mass (β = .26; 95% CI = 0.05–0.48) and fat‐free mass (β = 1.10; 95% CI = 0.71–1.48), and boys had lower fat percentage (β = −3.49; 95% CI = −4.35 to −2.65) and fat mass (β = −.92; 95% CI = −1.31 to −0.55) than girls. Birth weight was also positively associated with fat‐free mass. Conclusion LBW seems to influence some growth indicators of children living in Boane, however, current environmental factors seem to weaken this association. Our results suggest that public policies involving healthy nutrition and physical activity can reverse the effects of low weight in children from Boane.
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ISSN:1042-0533
1520-6300
1520-6300
DOI:10.1002/ajhb.24072