The Association of Birth Weight with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Early Childhood

Objective: Our objective was to determine the effect of birth weight (BW) on risk factors of cardiovascular disease and body composition in early childhood. Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 66 early childhood aged between 2-5 years. The study population were stratified to three categories according to birth weight group: term appropriate for gestational age (AGA) children (n=22), term small for gestational age (SGA) children (n=22), term macrosomic children (n=22). Results: There was no significant difference with regard to gender, mode of delivery. The height, head circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, chest and waist circumference in early childhood were similar in the three groups. Body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in macrosomic group compared wtih SGA and AGA groups. The fasting glucose levels were significantly higher in SGA group and macrosomic group respectively than in AGA group. The children in SGA group had significantly higher insulin levels and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index when compared to the children in AGA and macrosomic groups. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were comparable among the study groups. Coclusion: Our study shows that insulin levels and HOMA-IR indexes were higher at early childhood in SGA group when compared to the children in AGA and macrosomic groups. There were no differences between three groups in terms of anthropometric measurements, except BMI.