[Early assessment of overweight for preventing obesity].

The overweight child should be detected as soon as possible to avoid the occurrence of a more severe obesity, source of early complications. Thus, it is essential to carefully follow the BMI curve in all children with particular attention to the age of the early adiposity rebound (between 1 and 5 years). Early rebound indicates predisposition, and represents a risk factor for later obesity. The announcement is not harmless and should avoid unnecessary judging or blaming the family outside rare situations of abuse. Overweight results from an energy imbalance favored by many risk factors often entangled. These predisposing factors are specific to the child (especially genetic and epigenetic origin) and environmental. Among these environmental factors, those occurring during pregnancy and the nutritional education (too permissive or too restrictive) represent targets for primary prevention.