Abstract

Introduction: malnutrition due to excess is a serious public health problem currently affecting 53 % of children and adolescents in Chile. The early identification of associated factors is key in prevention and necessary to guide interventions from early stages of life. Objective: to identify factors associated with the development of malnutrition due to excess in three-year-old children under control at Ancora Family Health. Methods: a case-control study was carried out in three Ancora Family Health Centers located in the communes of La Pintana and Puente Alto; it included 133 children and their mothers. Factors dependent on the child and the mother were analyzed and their importance in the development of malnutrition due to excess was determined. Results: logistic regression showed maternal smoking during pregnancy as a risk factor (OR = 4.065, 95 % CI: 1.119-14.770, p = 0.033) and as protective factors birth weight < 4,000 g (OR = 0.112, 95 % CI: 0.026-0.483, p = 0.003) and weight gain during the first year of life < 6.4 kg in women and < 6.9 kg in men (OR = 0.060, 95 % CI: 0.017-0.210, p = 0.000). Conclusions: the most important risk factor was maternal smoking and the protective factors were birth weight and weight gain in the first year. Health programs and public policies should focus on modifiable factors such as smoking during pregnancy and adequate weight gain in the first year of life.