226644 Role of maternal functioning and socioeconomic status in Latino children's BMI

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 5:00 PM - 5:15 PM

D. Eastern Kang Sim, MPH , Dept. of Pediatrics, University of CA, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Matthew Cappiello, BA , Dept. of Pediatrics, University of CA, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Suzanna M. Martinez, PhD, MS , Dept. of Pediatrics, University of CA, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Sheila Gahagan, MD, MPH , Dept. of Pediatrics, University of CA, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
     
Little is known about how socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal functioning influence children's growth in weight and height and ultimately body mass index. The goal of this study was to examine potential mediated pathways between maternal stress and psychological risk, SES and child BMI in a cohort of Latino children.

We analyzed data from 963 10-year old low- to middle-income Chilean children, studied since infancy as part of an iron-deficiency anemia preventive trial. The following variables were included in the path analysis: a latent variable representing maternal stress and psychological risk; parental responsiveness; home physical environment; child behavior problems; and weight, height and BMI.

Preliminary analyses showed that maternal stress and psychological risk were related to child's height through several pathways: a positive association with child behavior problems; and a negative association with parental responsiveness, which was negatively associated with child behavior problems. Child behavior problems were negatively related to child height. SES and lower maternal stress and psychological risk were associated with a more positive home physical environment which was related to child height. Children from middle income families had on average higher heights. Higher SES and parental responsiveness were associated with higher weight in this cohort.

Higher Child BMI reflected the combination of lower height related to lower SES, higher maternal stress and psychological risk; and/or higher weight related to relatively higher social position. We present this model of paradoxical risk for elevated BMI in children in at-risk families and in children from better off, middle income families. Where's the justice?

Learning Areas:
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
To describe how lower SES and maternal functioning curtailed growth and impaired behavioral functioning, while middle income status carried risk for obesity in a Latin American cohort of children.

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Social Inequalities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conceptualized the content and conducted the analysis for this study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4368.0: Social and Physical Environments Affecting the Health of Latinos