Childhood Overweight and Academic Performance: National Study of Kindergartners and First‐Graders

Objective: To examine the association between children's overweight status in kindergarten and their academic achievement in kindergarten and first grade. Research Methods and Procedures: The data analyzed consisted of 11, 192 first time kindergartners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample of kindergartners in the U.S. in 1998. Multivariate regression techniques were used to estimate the independent association of overweight status with children's math and reading standardized test scores in kindergarten and grade 1. We controlled for socioeconomic status, parent‐child interaction, birth weight, physical activity, and television watching. Results: Overweight children had significantly lower math and reading test scores compared with nonoverweight children in kindergarten. Both groups were gaining similarly on math and reading test scores, resulting in significantly lower test scores among overweight children at the end of grade 1. However, these differences, except for boys’ math scores at baseline (difference = 1.22 points, p = 0.001), became insignificant after including socioeconomic and behavioral variables, indicating that overweight is a marker but not a causal factor. Race/ethnicity and mother's education were stronger predictors of test score gains or levels than overweight status. Discussion: Significant differences in test scores by overweight status at the beginning of kindergarten and the end of grade 1 can be explained by other individual characteristics, including parental education and the home environment. However, overweight is more easily observable by other students compared with socioeconomic characteristics, and its significant (unadjusted) association with worse academic performance can contribute to the stigma of overweight as early as the first years of elementary school.     

Weight Loss Attempts and Attitudes toward Body Size,Eating, and Physical Activity in American Indian Children: Relationship to Weight Status and Gender

Objective: This study examined dieting, weight perceptions, and self‐efficacy to eat healthy foods and engage in physical activity and their relationships to weight status and gender among American Indian elementary schoolchildren. Research Methods and Procedures: Data for this study were collected as part of the baseline examination for the Pathways study. Participants were 1441 second‐ through third‐grade American Indian children in 41 schools representing seven tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota who filled out a questionnaire and had heights and weights taken. Results: Forty‐two percent of the children were overweight or obese. No differences were found between overweight/obese and normal weight children for healthy food intentions or self‐efficacy. Heavier children (especially those with body mass index > 95th percentile) were more likely to have tried to lose weight or were currently trying to lose weight. No gender differences were found. Normal weight children chose a slightly heavier body size as most healthy compared with overweight/obese children. Discussion: The results indicate that children are concerned about their weight and that weight modification efforts are common among overweight American Indian children. School, community, and family‐based programs are needed to help young people adopt lifelong healthful eating and physical activity practices.     

Bright Start: Description and Main Outcomes From a Group‐Randomized Obesity Prevention Trial in American Indian Children

The aim of the Bright Start study was to develop and test the effectiveness of a school environment intervention, supplemented with family involvement, to reduce excessive weight gain by increasing physical activity and healthy eating practices among kindergarten and first‐grade American Indian children. Bright Start was a group‐randomized, school‐based trial involving 454 children attending 14 schools on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Children were followed from the beginning of their kindergarten year through the end of first grade. Main outcome variables were mean BMI, mean percent body fat, and prevalence of overweight/obese children. The goals of the intervention were to: increase physical activity at school to at least 60 min/day; modify school meals and snacks; and involve families in making behavioral and environmental changes at home. At baseline, 32% of boys and 25% of girls were overweight/obese. Although the intervention was not associated with statistically significant change in mean levels of BMI, BMI‐Z, skinfolds or percentage body fat, the intervention was associated with a statistically significant net decrease of 10% in the prevalence of overweight. Intervention children experienced a 13.4% incidence of overweight, whereas the control children experienced a corresponding incidence of 24.8%; a difference of ?11.4% (P = 0.033). The intervention significantly reduced parent‐reported mean child intakes of sugar‐sweetened beverages, whole milk, and chocolate milk. Changes in duration of school physical activity were not significant. Because obesity is the most daunting health challenge facing American Indian children today, more intervention research is needed to identify effective approaches.     

Early Postnatal BMI Adaptation Is Regulated During a Fixed Time Period and Mainly Depends on Maternal BMI

In the present study, we investigated whether there are critical time periods which influence the course of BMI during the first 6 years of life. From 5,433 children who participated in preschool examinations those 212 children were selected who crossed the BMI percentiles as a result of an extreme postnatal BMI rise (from <10th to 90th percentile) or fall (from >90th to <10th percentile) or who have persistently low or high BMI both at birth and at the age of 6 years. Forty children with a BMI close to the 50th percentile both at birth and age 6 years were selected to serve as controls. The courses of weight and height during the first 6 years of age were assessed and BMI was calculated. To identify influences connected with BMI development, we investigated genetic, social, nutritional, and other factors proceeding from the mother during pregnancy. Finally completed data sets of 57 children were available. Our study shows that during two critical time periods a significant move toward low or high BMI takes place among the groups: in early infancy from ～0.5 to 1.5 years and again from 5 to 6 years. At the age of 1.5 years the final state of BMI is already fixed in all study groups. Mothers of overweight 6‐year‐old children are overweight, whereas mothers of underweight 6‐year‐old children have a below‐normal BMI. All other investigated factors only had a minor influence on postnatal BMI development. We conclude that postnatal BMI development follows a fixed genetic program and is mainly programmed by maternal metabolism.     

Behavioral pattern of overweight and obese school children

The aim of this study was to determine socio economic, health status, nutritional and behavioral differences in obese, overweight and normal weight children attending first grade elementary school. In overweight group there is 13.8% of boys and 12.6% of girls, in obese group 8.3% of boys and 6.9% of girls. In factor analysis 12 factors was excluded with cumulative loading of 60% variability. Discriminant analysis was performed with 12 factors as predictive variables and discriminant variables were three BMI groups: normal weight, overweight and obese. Function 1 discriminate well normal weight group from overweight and obese group. Overweight and obese groups is described with lower number of children in the family and lower order of birth, higher education of parents, they eat less vegetables and fruits, spend more time playing computer games, have less physical activity, drink more alcohol with their meals, exactly opposite to normal weight group.     

父母及个人行为对学龄前儿童超重和肥胖的影响

目的：探讨学龄前儿童超重和肥胖的现状及其影响因素。方法：从青岛市幼儿园招募年龄在3-6 岁儿童参与本调查,通过健 康体格检查和问卷调查两部分进行。其中体格检查包括身高和体重的测量,问卷调查内容包括父母的相关变量以及儿童个人饮 食行为等因素。其中1080 份为完整有效数据。结果：学龄前儿童超重和肥胖人数分别占总数的18.80%和8.98%。男孩的超重和 肥胖率（31.8%）高于女生（23.8%）。父亲和母亲的超重和肥胖均与儿童超重和肥胖存在关联性(P<0.05)。较长屏幕时间、快速进食 是超重和肥胖的危险因素(P<0.05),而增加体力活动时间为保护因素（P<0.05）。偏爱肉类也是与超重/ 肥胖相关的因素(P<0.05）。 结论：孩子个性习惯和父母均与学龄前儿童超重和肥胖相关,学龄前儿童超重和肥胖问题仍然是一个重要的公共卫生问题。     

Low Recognition of Childhood Overweight and Disease Risk among Native‐American Caregivers**

Objectives: Pediatric obesity is a significant and increasing problem in Native‐American communities. The aim of this study was to determine whether parents and other caregivers from three Wisconsin tribes recognized overweight children. We also assessed caregiver attributes associated with levels of concern for risk of future overweight and chronic disease. Research Methods and Procedures: Data were obtained from child health screenings and caregiver surveys. Participants included 366 kindergarten‐through‐second grade child–caregiver dyads. Children's BMI percentiles were calculated and compared with caregiver responses. We assessed the relationships between predictors of caregiver concern for health risk factors and recognition of overweight. Results: Twenty‐six percent of children were overweight (≥95th percentile), and 19% were at risk for being overweight (≥85th to <95th percentile) using Centers for Disease Control standards. Caregivers recognized only 15.1% of overweight children. Factors predictive of child overweight recognition included a child BMI >99th percentile and grandmother as caregiver. Overall, caregivers were more concerned about diabetes and cardiovascular disease than obesity. Parents with diabetes and heart disease were more concerned than others about risk for these diseases; however, only diabetic parents made a connection between child weight status and future risk of obesity‐related disease. Child sex, child age, and parental education level were not significant predictors for caregiver recognition of an overweight child. Discussion: Most caregivers did not recognize overweight children or associate excess weight with increased risk of disease. When designing community interventions, it is crucial to incorporate caregivers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding childhood overweight and risk of future disease.     

Child and Parent Psychological Problems Influence Child Weight Control

This study used path analytic methods to assess the influence of child psychopathology measured using the Child Behavior Checklist and parent psychiatric symptoms measured using the Cornell Medical Index on changes in child percent overweight in obese 8- to 11-year-old children over 2 years (6 months of treatment, 18 months of follow-up) provided family-based behavioral intervention. Path analysis for the 0–6 month change showed the influence of mother and father psychiatric symptoms and child age on child anxiety/depression scores that in turn influenced child percent overweight change during treatment, accounting for 41 % of the shared variance. The path analysis for follow-up change showed mother and father psychiatric symptoms influenced child social problems at the first stage, and child social problems influenced child percent overweight change, accounting for 68.5% of the shared variance. These results provide the first demonstration that both parent and child problems may influence the short- and long-term success of obese children who participate in family-based behavioral treatment programs.     

Modifiable environmental and behavioral determinants of overweight among children and adolescents: report of a workshop

The number of children at risk for overweight and the number of overweight children are increasing and have become a serious public health concern. Interventions that could be applied at the population level have not been proven effective. The development of effective strategies is thought to be hampered by the lack of understanding of which behavioral and environmental factors need to be modified. On June 14 and 15, 2004, the NIH held a meeting of experts to discuss the issue of modifiable determinants of obesity in children and adolescents. Included were presentations on interventions among children that have been proven effective, dietary and physical activity behavioral determinants, physical, social, and family environmental determinants, and the quality of measures of determinants and correlates of overweight.     

Body size matters in provision of help: factors related to children's willingness to help overweight peers

Although children who are overweight may be vulnerable to negative social experiences, little is known about whether children will offer help to peers who are overweight. The present study examined whether children would offer aid to peers who are overweight with everyday tasks (such as picking up toys). This study also examined whether weight stereotypes and intentions to befriend these peers are related to intentions to help. Fifty-one children, aged 4-8, were interviewed about their stereotypes and behavioral intentions. Findings revealed that children were less likely to help overweight than average weight peers. Children who did not hold positive stereotypes about thinness and those who chose to play with overweight peers were more likely to help peers who are overweight. Results suggest that weight prejudice is pervasive and that children who are overweight might not be offered aid in classroom settings, highlighting the need for early intervention.     

Pet Ownership,Type of Pet and Socio-Emotional Development of School Children

ABSTRACT

The current study was designed to compare the socio-emotional characteristics of school children pet owners and children without pets and to examine whether the type of pet is a variable which can differentiate the socio-emotional development of their owners. The subjects, 425 girls and 401 boys, were students of fourth (n=265), sixth (n=295) and eighth (n=266) grade of elementary schools from the metropolitan area of Zagreb, Croatia. Socio-emotional variables assessed in the study were: child attachment to pet, child prosocial orientation, empathy, loneliness, perception of family climate and social anxiety. The data showed that 54.4% of children in the sample were pet owners (26.2% of children in the study had a dog, 9.2% had a cat, and 19.0% had some other pet). In order to answer the main research question, several analyses of variance (gender by grade by pet ownership) were computed for each criterion of socio-emotional development. Significant main effects were obtained for empathy, prosocial orientation and pet attachment, with dog owners being more empathic and prosocially oriented than non-owners, and dog owners and cat owners being more attached to their pets than owners of other kinds of pets. Additional analyses of variance were computed in order to examine the role of attachment in the socio-emotional functioning of the children. Subjects were divided in three sub-groups: non-owners, lower then average attached owners, and higher than average attached owners. Children who scored higher than average on the attachment to pets scale showed significantly higher scores on the empathy and prosocial orientation scales than non-owners and children who scored lower than average on the attachment to pets scale. It was also found that children with higher levels of attachment to pets rated their family climate significantly better than children who had lower attachment to pets.     

Association between Arterial Stiffness and Serum L-Octanoylcarnitine and Lactosylceramide in Overweight Middle-Aged Subjects: 3-Year Follow-Up Study

Existing data on the association between being overweight and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk in adults are inconsistent. We prospectively and longitudinally investigated the effects of weight on arterial stiffness and plasma metabolites in middle-aged subjects (aged 40–55 years). A group of 59 individuals who remained within the range of overweight during repeated measurements over a 3-year period was compared with a control group of 59 normal weight subjects who were matched for age and gender. Changes in metabolites by UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry and changes in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) were examined. At baseline, the overweight group showed higher BMI, waist circumference, triglyceride, free fatty acid (FFA), glucose, insulin, and hs-CRP, and lower HDL-cholesterol than controls. After 3 years, the changes in waist circumference, diastolic and systolic blood pressure (DBP and SBP), triglyceride, FFA, glucose, insulin, hs-CRP, and ba-PWV observed in the overweight group were significantly different from those in the control group after adjusting for baseline levels. Furthermore, the overweight group showed greater increases in L-octanoylcarnitine (q=0.006) and decanoylcarnitine (q=0.007), and higher peak intensities of L-leucine, L-octanoylcarnitine, and decanoylcarnitine. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the change in ba-PWV was independently and positively associated with changes in L-octanoylcarnitine, lactosylceramide, and SBP, and with baseline BMI. Our results indicate that the duration of overweight is an important aggravating factor for arterial stiffness, especially during middle age. Additionally, an age-related increase in plasma L-octanoylcarnitine, lactosylceramide, SBP, and baseline BMI are independent predictors of increased arterial stiffness in middle-aged individuals.     

Disentangling Ethnic and Contextual Influences Among Parents Raising Youth in High-Risk Communities

This article reports on analyses examining contextual influences on parenting with an ethnically and geographically diverse sample of parents (predominantly mothers) raising 387 children (49% ethnic minority; 51% male) in high-risk communities. Parents and children were followed longitudinally from first through tenth grades. Contextual influences included geographical location, neighborhood risk, SES, and family stress. The cultural variable was racial socialization. Parenting constructs created through the consensus decision-making of the Parenting Subgroup of the Study Group on Race, Culture, and Ethnicity (see Le et al., 2008) included Monitoring, Communication, Warmth, Behavioral Control and Parenting Efficacy. Hierarchical regressions on each parenting construct were conducted for each grade for which data were available. Analyses tested for initial ethnic differences and then for remaining ethnic differences once contextual influences were controlled. For each construct, some ethnic differences did remain (Monitoring, ninth grade; Warmth, third grade; Communication, kindergarten; Behavioral Control, eighth grade; and Parenting Efficacy, kindergarten through fifth grade). Ethnic differences were explained by contextual differences in the remaining years. Analyses examining the impact of cultural influences revealed a negative relation between racial socialization messages and Communication or Monitoring.     

On the Development of Proper Pronunciation in Children From one and a Half to Three Years Old

The problem of early development of proper pronunciation of sounds by children continues to be of pressing concern. The need to teach reading, writing, and a foreign language at an early age (five or six) demands that by this age the process of development of correct pronunciation of words be completed. However, according to data of V.I. Telenchi, (21) who studied 2,378 kindergarten children, a substantial number (21-40%) continue to have pronunciation defects even at six and seven. Pronunciation defects complicate not only education but the child's social contacts, and have a negative effect upon the behavior of children being raised in a group.     

Association between nutritional status and dengue severity in Thai children and adolescents

Most cases of dengue virus infection are mild, but severe cases can be fatal. Therefore, identification of factors associated with dengue severity is essential to improve patient outcomes and reduce mortality. The objective of this study was to assess associations between nutritional status and dengue severity among Thai children and adolescents. This retrospective cross-sectional study was based on the medical records of 355 patients with dengue treated at the Hospital for Tropical Disease (Bangkok, Thailand) from 2017 to 2019. Subjects were Thai children aged less than 18 years with dengue virus infection confirmed by positive NS1 antigen or IgM. The 1997 and 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) dengue classifications were used to define disease severity and body mass index for age while the WHO growth chart was used to classify nutritional status. The proportions of patients with dengue fever who were underweight, normal weight, and overweight were 8.8%, 61.5%, and 29.7%, respectively. The proportions of patients with dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) who were underweight, normal weight, and overweight were 10.2%, 66.1%, and 23.7%, respectively. The proportions of patients with non-severe dengue who were underweight, normal weight, and overweight were 8.6%, 60.9%, and 30.5%, respectively; the same proportions of patients with severe dengue were 10.5%, 67.1%, and 22.4%, respectively. Higher proportions of patients with severe plasma leakage (DHF grade III and IV) were overweight compared with those with mild plasma leakage (DHF grade I and II) (45.5% vs. 18.8%). No difference in nutritional status was observed in patients with different dengue severity.     

Excavating Culture: Ethnicity and Context as Predictors of Parenting Behavior

Ethnic, socioeconomic, and contextual predictors of parenting and family socialization practices were examined among African American and European American families. This is one of a set of coordinated studies presented in this special issue (Le et al.). With the goal of sampling African American and European American children and families that were roughly equivalent on socioeconomic indicators, 103 mothers and their children were interviewed when the children were in kindergarten, and 83.5% were interviewed again in fourth grade. There were no ethnic differences in mothers' reports of warmth and communication at kindergarten; mothers' and children's reports of behavioral control at fourth grade, and children's reports of warmth at fourth grade. Among the ethnic differences in the parenting constructs, a number of them were related to cultural variables. For example, African American mothers expressed higher levels of self-efficacy and this was positively related to beliefs in communicating ethnic pride in their children. Similarly, although African American mothers expressed lower levels of warmth than European American mothers at fourth grade, among African American mothers, warmth was positively related to ethnic pride and beliefs in ethnic equality. A similar pattern was found for Psychological Control at fourth grade. When parenting practices among African Americans are examined in relation to ethnic socialization goals and ethnic identity, endorsement of ethnic socialization and identity was associated with more adaptive parenting practices. Longitudinally, there were several notable changes in ethnic differences in parenting practices across age.     

Colonization by Clostridium difficile of neonates in a hospital, and infants and children in three day-care facilities of Kanazawa, Japan.

The intestinal-carriage rates of Clostridium difficile in neonates hospitalized in the University Hospital's Center for Perinatal and Reproductive Health and in infants and children enrolled in two day-nurseries and a kindergarten were examined. Swab samples from the floors of these facilities were also analyzed to determine the extent of environmental contamination by this organism. C. difficile was found in the stool of only one of 40 neonates during the normal 1-week stay in the hospital after delivery. The isolate from the neonate was identical to that of her mother, as determined by PCR ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, and toxin gene type, suggesting that the C. difficile-positive neonate acquired the organism from her mother rather than from the environment. By contrast, 47 (48.0%) of the 98 infants and children, comprising 50 enrolled in two day-nurseries who were >= 3 years old and 48 enrolled in a kindergarten who were 2-5 years old, carried C. difficile. The carriage rate in infants under 2 years of age was much higher (84.4%) than in children 2 years old and older (30.3%). When analyzed according to age group, the carriage rates were 100, 75.0, 45.5, 24.0, 38.5, and 23.5% in infants and children 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years old, respectively. The observation that several children were colonized with the same type of C. difficile strain in each day-care facility, and that the floors of day-nursery A and kindergarten C were contaminated with C. difficile strains identical to those colonizing the intestines of children enrolled in those facilities suggests that cross-infection of C. difficile among children occurs through C. difficile-carrying children or their contaminated environments.     

Headaches in overweight children and adolescents referred to a tertiary-care center in Israel

Objective: To assess the association between obesity and primary headaches in children and adolescents. Methods and Procedures: In a prospective study, the short‐questionnaire version based on existing International Headache Society diagnostic criteria was administered. Two hundred and seventy‐three children and adolescents (61% females) aged 9–17 years were assessed. One hundred and sixteen (42.5%) subjects were of normal weight, 45 (16.5%) were at risk for overweight (BMI >85th and <95th percentile for age and gender) and 112 (41%) were overweight (BMI ≥95th percentile). The outcome measures were prevalence of headaches, type of headaches, association between headaches and elevated blood pressure in overweight subjects. Results: Headache was reported in 39 (14.3%) subjects, with a similar rate in females (14.5%) and males (14%). Among 39 subjects with headaches, 20 (17.9%) were overweight, 7 (15.6%) were at risk for overweight and 12 (10.3%) were normal‐weight children. Among females, 7.7% of normal‐weight group suffered from headaches, compared with 14.8% of the at risk for overweight group and 20.3% of the overweight group (P for trend 0.04). Among males, the occurrence of headaches was similar in all three weight groups (P = 0.96). The occurrence of headaches increased from 10.6% among children aged 9–11 years to 21.8% in the 15–18 years age group (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, a significant independent risk for headaches was present in overweight females (odds ratio (OR) = 3.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28–12.1) and in adolescents aged 15–18 years (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.07–6.45). Elevated blood pressure was not independently associated with headaches. Of the 15 children with migraine, 12 were either at risk for overweight or overweight. Discussion: Overweight females had an almost fourfold excess risk of headaches when compared with normal‐weight girls.     

California and federal school nutrition policies and obesity among children of Pacific Islander,American Indian/Alaska Native,and Filipino origins: Interrupted time series analysis

BackgroundObesity prevalence remains high among children of Pacific Islander (PI) origin, Filipino (FI), and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) origins in the United States. While school nutrition policies may help prevent and reduce childhood obesity, their influences specifically among PI, FI, and AIAN children remain understudied. We evaluated the association of the California (CA) state school nutrition policies for competitive food and beverages and the federal policy for school meals (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA 2010)) with overweight/obesity among PI, FI, and AIAN students.Methods and findingsWe used an interrupted time series (ITS) design with FitnessGram data from 2002 to 2016 for PI (78,841), FI (328,667), AIAN (97,129), and White (3,309,982) students in fifth and seventh grades who attended CA public schools. Multilevel logistic regression models estimated the associations of the CA school nutrition policies (in effect beginning in academic year 2004 to 2005) and HHFKA 2010 (from academic year 2012 to 2013) with overweight/obesity prevalence (above the 85 percentile of the age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) distribution). The models were constructed separately for each grade and sex combination and adjusted for school district-, school-, and student-level characteristics such as percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals, neighborhood income and education levels, and age. Across the study period, the crude prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher among PI (39.5% to 52.5%), FI (32.9% to 36.7%), and AIAN (37.7% to 45.6%) children, compared to White (26.8% to 30.2%) students. The results generally showed favorable association of the CA nutrition policies with overweight/obesity prevalence trends, although the magnitudes of associations and strengths of evidence varied among racial/ethnic subgroups. Before the CA policies went into effect (2002 to 2004), overweight/obesity prevalence increased for White, PI, and AIAN students in both grades and sex groups as well as FI girls in seventh grade. After the CA policies took place (2005 to 2012), the overweight/obesity rates decreased for almost all subgroups who experienced increasing trends before the policies, with the largest decrease seen among PI girls in fifth grade (before: log odds ratio = 0.149 (95% CI 0.108 to 0.189; p < 0.001); after: 0.010 (−0.005 to 0.025; 0.178)). When both the CA nutrition policies and HHFKA 2010 were in effect (2013 to 2016), declines in the overweight/obesity prevalence were seen among White girls and FI boys in fifth grade. Despite the evidence of the favorable association of the school nutrition policies with overweight/obesity prevalence trends, disparities between PI and AIAN students and their White peers remained large after the policies took place. As these policies went into effect for all public schools in CA, without a clear comparison group, we cannot conclude that the changes in prevalence trends were solely attributable to these policies.ConclusionsThe current study found evidence of favorable associations of the state and federal school nutrition policies with overweight/obesity prevalence trends. However, the prevalence of overweight/obesity continued to be high among PI and AIAN students and FI boys. There remain wide racial/ethnic disparities between these racial/ethnic minority subgroups and their White peers. Additional strategies are needed to reduce childhood obesity and related disparities among these understudied racial/ethnic populations.

Dr. Mika Matsuzaki and co-authors found evidence of favorable associations between state and federal school nutrition policies with overweight/obesity prevalence trends among children of Pacific Islander origin, Filipino, and American Indian/Alaska Native origins in the United States.     

Parent predictors of child weight change in family based behavioral obesity treatment

Family based behavioral treatment for overweight and obese children includes parenting skills targeting the modification of child eating and activity change. The purpose of this study was to examine parenting skills and parent weight change as predictors of child weight change in a sample of 80 parent/child dyads who were enrolled in a family based behavioral weight loss program for childhood obesity. Eighty overweight and obese children and their parents who enrolled in treatment in two sites were included in the study. Variables included those related to parent modeling (parent BMI), home food environment, parenting (parent and child report), and demographics. Results suggested that parent BMI change was a significant predictor of child weight, in that a reduction of 1 BMI unit in the parent was associated with a 0.255 reduction in child BMI. None of the other variables were significant in the final model. This study is consistent with other research showing that parent weight change is a key contributor to child weight change in behavioral treatment for childhood obesity. Researchers and clinicians should focus on encouraging parents to lose weight to assist their overweight and obese child in weight management.