Association between neonatal conditions and anthropometric indicators among children attending daycare centers in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between neonatal conditions and anthropometric indicators and to describe food insecurity among children attending daycare centers.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study with 139 children enrolled in Early Childhood Education Centers in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data on neonatal conditions, socioeconomic characteristics, food insecurity, and nutritional status were collected. Height-for-age (HAZ) and body mass index-for-age (BAZ) were classified according to the World Health Organization standards. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR).

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight was 34.4%, and short stature was observed in 22.6% of children. Overweight prevalence was 34.4% and short stature 22.6%. BAZ was associated with birth weight (PR = 1.0016; 95%CI:1.0004-1.0028), food insecurity, socioeconomic status, and high-risk pregnancy. Higher food insecurity levels showed higher PRs for BAZ, while lower socioeconomic classes were inversely associated. No associations were observed for HAZ.

CONCLUSION

BAZ was associated with perinatal and socioeconomic factors, highlighting early-life determinants of excess weight and the influence of food insecurity, reinforcing the need for early interventions.