Table 3.
Univariate association of predictive variables with obesity
| Variables | Prevalence of obesity (%) | P value | Odds Ratio [OR] |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 4.01 (N = 18,032) | 0.003 | Female vs Male 1.17 (1.06–1.30) |
| Female | 4.66 (N = 17,402) | ||
| Age group | |||
| 5.0 – < 5.5 | 2.50 (N = 80) | 0.18 | Per unit increase in age group: 0.96 (0.90–1.03) |
| 5.5 – < 6.0 | 4.55 (N = 8,498) | ||
| 6.0 – < 6.5 | 4.37 (N = 16,977) | ||
| 6.5 – < 7.0 | 4.04 (N = 9,265) | Per unit increase in age: 1.00 (0.86–1.16) | |
| 7.0 – < 7.5 | 3.98 (N = 502) | ||
| 7.5 – < 8.0 | 8.04 (N = 112) | ||
| Nationality | |||
| German | 4.04 (N = 32,413) | < 0.0001 | Other than German vs German 1.95 (1.68 – 2.28) |
| Other than German | 7.61 (N = 2,733) | ||
| Study region | |||
| East | 3.88 (N = 23,998) | < 0.0001 | East vs West 0.73 (0.66–0.81) |
| West | 5.26 (N = 11,436) | ||
| Study location | |||
| Urban | 4.53 | 0.001 | Urban vs Rural 1.24 (1.09–1.41) |
| Rural | 3.69 | ||
| Parental educational level | |||
| < 10 years of schooling | 6.23 (N = 3,902) | < 0.0001 *** | Per unit increase in educational level 0.68 (0.63 – 0.73) |
| 10 years of schooling | 4.87 (N = 15,233) | 0.77 (0.66 – 0.90)* | |
| > 10 years of schooling | 3.06 (N = 14,849) | 0.48 (0.41 – 0.56)* | |
| Living space | |||
| <= 75 m2 | 4.92 (N = 17,213) | > 75 m2 vs <= 75 m2 0.75 (0.67–0.83) | |
| > 75 m2 | 3.73 (N = 16,882) | ||
| Number of persons in the child's living place | < 0.0001 *** | Per unit increase in no of persons: 0.90 (0.86–0.95) | |
| Single child | |||
| No | 3.95 (N = 23,148) | < 0.0001 | Yes vs No: 1.30 (1.17–1.45) |
| Yes | 5.08 (N = 11,849) | ||
| Attendance of day nursery | |||
| No | 4.59 (N = 14,718) | 0.01 | Yes vs No: 0.88 (0.79–0.98) |
| Yes | 4.05 (N = 19,108) | ||
| Smoking in the living place | |||
| No | 3.65 (N = 18,266) | < 0.0001 | Yes vs No: 1.46 (1.32–1.63) |
| Yes | 5.25 (N = 14,942) | ||
| Passive smoking during the first three years of life | |||
| No | 3.92 (N = 23,609) | < 0.0001 | Yes vs No: 1.33 (1.19 – 1.48) |
| Yes | 5.14 (N = 11,084) | ||
| Smoking during pregnancy | |||
| No | 4.06 (N = 29,833) | < 0.0001 | Yes vs No: 1.47 (1.29 – 1.68) |
| Yes | 5.86 (N = 4,745) | ||
| Breastfeeding for more than three months | |||
| No | 4.48 (N = 22,634) | < 0.0001 | Yes vs No: 0.76 (0.68 – 0.86) |
| Yes | 3.46 (N = 10,472) | ||
| Preterm delivery | |||
| No | 4.42 (N = 32,313) | < 0.001 | Yes vs No: 0.64 (0.50 – 0.83) |
| yes | 2.87 (N = 2,227) | ||
| Birth weight | |||
| < 2500 g | 1.94 (N = 2,006) | < 0.0001*** | Per unit increase in birth weight category 1.35 (1.28 – 1.42) |
| 2500 – < 3000 g | 3.26 (N = 5,916) | 1.70 (1.20 – 2.41)** | |
| 3000 – < 3500 g | 3.91 (N = 13,340) | 2.05 (1.48 – 2.85)** | |
| 3500 – < 4000 g | 4.88 (N = 10,251) | 2.59 (1.86 – 3.59)** | |
| > 4000 g | 7.62 (N = 3,296) | 4.16 (2.95 – 5.85)** |
*compared to educational level I (< 10 years of schooling)
**compared to low birth weight (< 2500 g)
***Cochran-Armitage Trend Test