Maternal BMI and Country of Birth as Indicators of Childhood Obesity in Children of Mexican Origin
2007
Hernández-Valero, María A. | Wilkinson, Anna V. | Forman, Michele R. | Etzel, Carol J. | Cao, Yumei | Bárcenas, Carlos H. | Strom, Sara S. | Spitz, Margaret R. | Bondy, Melissa L.
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal and childhood BMI at baseline in a group of 5- to 18-year-old children and their mothers, all of whom were of Mexican origin, low socioeconomic status, and enrolled in a cohort study in Houston, TX. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Using data from 438 mother-child dyads residing in the same household, we completed logistic regression analyses to determine maternal factors associated with the child being overweight or at-risk-for-overweight, after adjusting for the child's gender, age, and level of physical activity and other maternal confounders. RESULTS: Almost one-half of the boys and girls (47% and 44%, respectively) were either overweight or at-risk-for-overweight. Obese mothers were twice as likely to have an overweight and/or at-risk-for-overweight child compared with normal-weight mothers. Women born in the U.S. were twice as likely to have an overweight and/or at-risk-for-overweight child compared with women born in Mexico. In addition, women with less than a high school education were twice as likely to have an overweight child compared with their more educated peers. DISCUSSION: The high prevalence of overweight or at-risk-for-overweight among Mexican-origin children of low socioeconomic status suggests a continued need to develop and implement culturally sensitive preventive interventions for this minority population. Our data also suggest a need to tailor such interventions particularly for children of obese mothers and those born in the U.S.
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