Home Environmental Influences on Childhood Obesity in the Latino Population: A Decade Review of Literature

Abstract

Background Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing ethnically diverse group in the United States. Latino children are also among the most overweight and obese ethnic groups of children in the United States. Research over the last decade has identified the home environment as a key influence on the diet and physical activity of children. Objective To summarize cross-sectional and longitudinal research that has identified factors within the home environment of Latino families that are associated with childhood obesity and to provide recommendations for future research and intervention development with Latino families. Methods A decade review from 2005-2015 was conducted. Studies identifying factors within the home environments of Latino families that were associated with childhood obesity were examined. Results Five main factors were identified across the literature as home environment factors that are associated with childhood obesity in Latino children. These factors included: parental influences (e.g., parent feeding practices, modeling), screen time, physical activity/sedentary behavior, socioeconomic status/food security and sleep duration. Conclusions The current review identified several home environment factors that may contribute to the disparities in childhood obesity for Latino children. Results from this review such as, focusing on decreasing controlling parent feeding practices, and increasing parent modeling of healthy behaviors and child sleep duration, can be used in developing culturally-specific interventions for Latino children.

“If You Let Them, They Will Be on It 24 Hours a Day”: Qualitative Study Conducted in the United States Exploring Brazilian Immigrant Mothers’ Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Screen Time Behaviors of Their Preschool-Age Children (Preprint)

“…This is consistent with previous qualitative research, including our own, and indicates the importance of the family within Latino communities [28,30,50,51]. It also suggests that the family should be considered the unit of change and that interventions focusing on promoting healthy ST will likely be more successful if they consider the entire family unit, including adults (e.g., both parents, other relatives such as grandmothers) and children (younger and older children).…”

“…Furthermore, parents' own ST was seen as influencing their young children's ST. Results of the current study are similar to that of previous research that indicate an association between home social and physical environment and development of children's early behaviors including ST [11,26,30,33,41,65,66]. This finding suggests that family-centered interventions should address not only children's, but also parents', siblings' and other family members' ST and incorporate parental role modeling of healthy ST behaviors.…”

“…Interventions designed to promote adequate ST in early childhood may have health benefits during childhood, but also help reduce chronic disease risks when adequate ST behaviors are carried into adulthood [29][30][31].…”

“…Many habits children form during early childhood are established in the home, an important early social environment where children develop habits that impact their weight status and health [30][31][32][33]. Previous research suggests that parents play a unique and central role in establishing a home environment that promotes or hinders children developing healthy habits including ST [34,35].…”

Study Protocol for a Home-Based Obesity Prevention Program in Latino Preschool Children

“…A recent review of the literature exploring home environmental influences on childhood obesity in the Latino population concluded that parental influences (e.g., parent feeding practices, modeling), screen time, and physical activity/sedentary behavior, were among those key factors that may contribute to the disproportionate burden of obesity experienced by Latino children (40). The described study, ANDALE Pittsburgh, targets those key factors through a culturally-tailored, home-based child obesity prevention intervention.…”