The Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Under One–Year-Old Infants in Yazd, Iran

Exceeded weight during the first 1000 days of life can lead to adulthood obesity and health-related problems. In the present study, we aimed to find the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their related demographic factors in the first year of life in Yazd.

In a cross-sectional study, recorded data of 600 infants were collected from health records of eight health centers of Yazd city using the cluster sampling method. Demographic data and socioeconomic status of the family, breastfeeding duration, and birth order were used. Anthropometrics, including height and weight were interpreted by the categorization developed by WHO as length for age and weight for age. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated at 7.3% and 3.5%, respectively. No significant differences were observed between boys (n = 307) and girls (n = 300)(P = 0.15) for weight, while girls had insignificant lower weight (g) (3028.87 ± 496.30 for girls and 3173.72 ± 456.61 for boys). Among different possible determinants, birth order was associated with body mass index status(P = 0.04).

A relatively high prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed among infants under one year of age. Although only the order of birth was observed as a related factor, other controllable factors should be considered and monitored by parents and the healthcare system. Further studies are suggested to investigate the related controllable factors.