Intrauterine growth restriction and overweight, obesity, and stunting in adolescents of indigenous communities of Chiapas, Mexico

Background/objectives Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and low-birth-weight (LBW) are determinant factors in the development of metabolic diseases in children and adolescents. To estimate the magnitude of the association between LBW and IUGR with stunting or obesity among adolescents of two indigenous regions of the southern State of Chiapas, Mexico. Subjects/methods We assessed a random sample of 303 adolescents selected from a birth cohort study (2003) conducted in three hospitals serving urban and rural communities of Tzotzil-Tzeltal and Selva regions of Chiapas, Mexico. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data from a sample of adolescents were correlated with their anthropometric data at birth (weight, length for age). Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals to measure the magnitude of the association among the variables of interest. Models were adjusted for potential confounders. Results In all, 12% of the sample had LBW and 28.8% IUGR. In total, 29% of adolescents were overweight/obese and 21% were stunted. We found a statistically significant association between IUGR and a lower risk of being overweight/obese. A higher probability for stunting was observed for LBW and IUGR. Conclusions Stunting and overweight/obesity prevalence in this population of adolescents was high and was associated with IUGR.