PUB/THU/01 CHILDHOOD OBESITY RISK: A DOSE–RESPONSE ASSOCIATION OF PARENTAL SMOKING

G Koshy, A Delpisheh, BJ Brabin. Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Department of Community Child Health, Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital NHS Trust, Alder Hey, Liverpool, UK

Introduction: Parental smoking in developed countries has been associated with the later development of childhood nutritional disorders including overweight and obesity.

Aim: To determine if there is a dose–response association between pregnancy smoking and childhood obesity risk.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the dose–response association of maternal smoking during pregnancy and the subsequent risk of childhood overweight or obesity. 1964 schoolchildren aged 5–11 years in Merseyside were recruited and parents completed a standardised questionnaire. Data on the dose and duration of pregnancy smoking exposure was requested. Body mass index Z scores of children were calculated.

Results: Of 684 (34.8%) mothers who smoked during pregnancy, 42.5% were heavy smokers (>10 cigarettes daily). Overall, 14% of children were overweight and 9.1% were obese. The corresponding proportions in children of mothers who smoked were 26.2% and 11.5%, respectively, compared with the non-smokers (p = 0.07 and p = 0.01, respectively). There was an increase in the mean body mass index in children with increasing numbers of daily cigarettes smoked by mothers and an increased prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight in heavy smokers compared with light smokers (p = 0.01 and p = 0.04) or no smokers (p<0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). Regression analysis adjusting for household socioeconomic status and child age showed that maternal smoking during pregnancy had an independent association for developing obesity in later childhood (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 3.4, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: A dose–response association was observed between maternal pregnancy smoking and the risk of developing overweight or obesity in childhood.

PUB/THU/02 PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND NUTRITION IN PRESCHOOLERS: A COMMUNITY-BASED ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

CA Colford, M Blair. Imperial College, London, UK

Background: The 2006/7 Department of Health survey of school-aged children …