CORAL STUDY

Childhood obesity has been recognized by WHO as a priority in the Global Action Plan 2013-2020 for the prevention and control of chronic diseases.

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe is high, with a north-south gradient with a higher prevalence in southern countries. The causes of obesity are multifactorial. The main goal of the present study is to identify the risk factors for childhood obesity, as well as to quantify the risk of each of them through a longitudinal cohort composed of children initially aged 3 to 6 years, in which a follow-up of a 10-year average is intended.

As specific objectives, the aim is to:

1. To assess the associations between perinatal risk factors, socioeconomic, cultural and environmental factors and the risk of developing obesity and its comorbidities;

2. To assess associations between lifestyles (diet, beverage consumption, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, sleep) and the risk of developing obesity and its co-morbidities;

3. To assess the association between genetic polymorphisms, metabolomic and metagenomic profiles (determined by omics techniques) and the development of obesity and its comorbidities.