Preschool children born moderately preterm have increased waist circumference at two years of age despite low body mass index.

AIM

To investigate the development of waist circumference (WC) in preschool children born preterm compared with a population-based reference.

BACKGROUND

Children born preterm are reported to be insulin resistant, despite being lean during early childhood. We hypothesize that the mechanism is through increased visceral adiposity.

METHODS

Data from 4446 preschool children (2169 girls/2277 boys) born in 2001-2006 from a population-based study were compared with longitudinal measurements of body mass index (BMI) and WC from a cohort of 152 children (64 girls/88 boys) born moderately preterm in 2002-2004 (gestational age, 32-37 weeks).

RESULTS

In the preterm children, the mean WC was 2.8 cm larger compared with the reference group (p < 0.001) at 2 years of age but not at 5 years of age. There was no significant difference in the mean BMI at 2 years of age. The preterm group was significantly leaner at 5 years of age, with a mean BMI of 15.13 compared with 15.98 in the reference group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Children born moderately preterm present as lean during early childhood but have an increased waist circumference in infancy, pointing towards a change in fat distribution with more abdominal fat. This may have implications for their metabolic status.