258864 Household structure and children's obesity risks

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Solveig Cunningham, PhD , Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Introduction Recommendations emphasize the involvement of the family for preventing and reversing childhood obesity. This paper explores how family structure relates to obesity risks and how this relationship affects the modifiable family environment. Methods Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class, 1998-99 in longitudinal multiple regression models, we estimate the importance of family characteristics in Kindergarten for children's weight trajectories through 5th grade. Weight and its change over time is measured in terms of categories based on BMI z-score. Family structure is assessed in terms of co-residence arrangement of parents, non-parental adults, and siblings.

Results Children's body weight increased, with many children becoming obese between Kindergarten and 5th grade (10% vs. 21%). Children living with both biological parents had significantly higher odds of obesity and gained significantly more weight in elementary school compared with children living in most other family arrangements. Children living with a biological parent and a step-parent were at lowest risk of obesity (OR=0.77 for mother and stepfather (p<0.05) and OR=0.48 for father and step-mother (p<0.10) and weight gain, as were children living with adoptive parents (OR=0.68, p<0.05). Children living with a grandmother had higher odds of obesity (OR=1.41, p<0.01) and children living with more than 3 adults gained significantly more weight than those living with 2 adults. Living with siblings was associated with lower obesity risk (OR=0.79, p<0.01). Discussion The relationships between family structure and child weight are complex and traditional expectations about the most beneficial family arrangements may not apply to obesity.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
-To describe the role of the family context in shaping children’s weight trajectories, obesity risks, and nutrition in elementary and middle school. -To identify who in the family should be involved for better child health and how different types of families interact and access resources in ways that affect child health. -To explore how family structure relates to family activities in modifiable ways that can promote healthy weight.

Keywords: Obesity, Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Assistant Professor of Global Health at Emory University. I am a demographer and sociologist with a research focus on social determinants of health across the life course. My recent publications have focused on child health, diabetes and society, and the role of family and friends in health and health behaviors. I am involved in 8 active NIH grants and teach courses in survey methods, demographic methods, and obesity.
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: 4367.0: Maternal and Child Health Poster Session