Childhood obesity is a problem that places a child at great risk for becoming an obese adult. To prevent obesity, it is important to focus on early life risk factors that may contribute to childhood obesity. The aim of this study is to find obesity-causing infantile risk factors in preschool children.

A total of 223 children aged 3 to 5 years old from Busan were the subjects of this study. We calculated their body mass index (BMI) and classified them into two groups (normal weight and overweight/obese children). Information regarding parental weight and height, mother's educational level and employment status, birth weight, feeding patterns, start time of weaning, duration of night feeding, and fosterer was obtained by using questionnaires.

There were 68 (30.5%) overweight/obese children and 155 (69.5%) normal weight children. Overweight/obese children were significantly associated with formula milk feeding, rapid weight gain during the first 6 months, and maternal obesity ( P <0.05). There were no statistical differences in paternal obesity, mothers educational level and employment status, birth weight, start time of weaning, duration of night feeding, and fosterer between the normal and overweight/obese children.

Although healthy diet and regular exercise will remain the cornerstones of weight management in obese children, our data supports the view that education about maintaining a normal weight could be introduced much earlier in families with high-risk children.