Resumen de The influence of maternal and neonatal factors on the life styles of portuguese children
Carlos Pereira, Nélio Veiga, Rosalina Loureiro, Odete Amaral
BACKGROUNDGender inequalities in the distribution of resources is still deeply associated with poor health and reduced welfare of women and children. The aim of this study consisted in analyzing maternal andneonatal factors of mothers of a sample of children from 3 to 10 years old and its influence on children´s lifestyles and daily habits.Participants and methods: A cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 1617 children frompublic schools, from the two main school groups of Tondela and Vouzela, Portugal. The final studysample was built with a total of 1365 mothers of children aged between 3 and 10 years old. Data collection was accomplished by the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire to the mothersof the children.Results: Children who live in rural areas presented a higher birth weight (≥2500 grams) comparedto those who live in urban areas (rural=93.7% vs urban=90.8%, p=0.04). Older pregnant women presented a higher prevalence of the first medical appointment before the 8th week of pregnancy (beforethe 8th week of pregnancy=96.5% vs after the 8th week of pregnancy=94.4%, p=0.04) as well as a higher prevalence of medical appointments during pregnancy (<6 medical appointments=94.1% vs ≥6 medical appointments=97.2%, p=0.02) when compared with younger pregnant women. Motherswith a higher educational level (>9th grade) showed a higher prevalence of breastfeeding (no=48.0%vs yes=58.0%, p=0.009) and their children presented a higher prevalence of fastfood consumption (no=54.8% vs yes=64.9%, p=0.002) when compared with mothers with lower educational level.Conclusion: The maternal factors are associated with socio-demographic variables such as residencearea, age and the educational level. The behaviors developed during pregnancy may influence the lifestyles of the children, considering the importance of maturity and training of mothers in maternal and neonatal care.
