Diet, Physical Activity, Weight Status, and Culture in a Sample of Children from the Developing World

Abstract

Objective. Barbados, a small developing state at the end of the nutrition transition, faces an obesity epidemic. Although there is hope of stemming the epidemic in childhood, no descriptions of children's dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns are available for planning purposes. We describe the food and activity preferences and adult encouragement of active and sedentary behaviors for children 9–11 years in relation to weight status and the cultural context. Design. We used data from a pilot study preceding a large-scale ongoing study on the local drivers of the obesity epidemic among preadolescent children. PA, sedentary activity, and dietary intakes were assessed from recalls. Weight and height were measured. Setting. Barbados. Subjects. Sixty-two (62), 9–11-year-old school children. Results. Sugar-sweetened beverages provided 21% of energy consumed. Energy intake significantly explained BMI. Parents selected significantly more of children's sedentary activities and encouraged mostly homework and chores (59%). Children's self-selected school-based activity was significantly related to BMI. Conclusions. Childhood obesity prevention recommendations and research should focus on culture-specific practices that promote acquired taste for excess sugar and parent-child interactions regarding PA. Child influenced by school-based activity intervention may an important area for preventive intervention research.

Consumption of Sweetened Beverages among School Going Children in a Densely Populated Township in Lilongwe, Malawi

“…Furthermore, snacking of locally made processed foods was common among the children. To our knowledge, this is the first published study documenting the wide consumption of SBs in such a Malawian population and has comparable results to studies that have been conducted elsewhere [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] . The study provides a basis for future, more comprehensive studies in Malawi on SBs, which will help in designing interventions to curb childhood obesity.…”

“…Overweight children, just like adults, are at high risk of a wide range of health problems, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes 2,3 . By significantly contributing to total energy intake 4 , consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SBs), such as carbonated soft drinks and flavoured juice drinks, has been linked to the rise in obesity and abdominal obesity among children [5][6][7] . High consumption of SBs also reduces micronutrient intake owing to a dilution effect 8 , thereby increasing the risk of micronutrient deficiencies.…”

Latino Mothers in Farmworker Families’ Beliefs About Preschool Children’s Physical Activity and Play

“…Approximately one-fourth of non-Hispanic White children aged 2–5 are overweight (i.e., >85 percentile of sex-based weight-for-length), whereas over one-third of Mexican American children in the same age group are overweight [1]. Although a portion of this disparity is likely attributed to socioeconomic conditions such as food insecurity [2–5], cultural beliefs about the proximal antecedents to obesity also contribute to ethnic variation in childhood overweight and obesity [6, 7]. …”

Formative research to develop a community-based intervention for chronic disease prevention in Guatemalan school-age children

“…A recent study in the United Kingdom with ethnic minority children also revealed that parent´s conversations about physical activity were limited, and identified the lack of knowledge of physical activity guidelines for children as a possible barrier [23]. Lack of parental encouragement to play active games has also been noted in other LMIC [24]. …”