Misperceptions, inactivity and maternal factors may drive obesity among Barbadian adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: To describe (1) the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their association with physical activity; (2) the effect of different cut-off points for body mass index (BMI) on weight status categorisation; and (3) associations of weight status with perceptions of body size, health and diet quality. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Secondary schools in Barbados. Subjects: A cohort of 400 schoolchildren, 11-16 years old, selected to study physical education practices. Results: Prevalence of overweight (15% boys; 17% girls) and obesity (7% boys; 12% girls) was high. Maternal obesity, as defined by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) BMI cut-off points, predicted weight status such that reporting an obese mother increased the odds of being overweight by 5.25 (95% confidence interval: 2.44, 11.31). Physical activity was inversely associated with weight status; however levels were low. Recreational physical activity was not associated with weight status in either category. Overweight subjects tended to misclassify themselves as normal weight and those who misclassified perceived themselves to be of similar health status to normal-weight subjects. The National Center for Health Statistics and IOTF BMI cut-off points produced different estimates of overweight and obesity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that inadequate physical activity and ignorance related to food and appropriate body size are promoting high levels of adiposity with a strong contribution from maternal obesity, which may be explained by perinatal and other intergenerational effects acting on both sexes. Prevalence studies and local proxy tools for adiposity assessment are needed.

Drastic increases in overweight and obesity from 1981 to 2010 and related risk factors: results from the Barbados Children’s Health and Nutrition Study

“…Sample size was based on a 27 % prevalence of OWOB among Barbadian children aged 10-16 years in 1999 (8) . The Barbados Ministry of Education provided 2009 school population details required for sampling from the seventy-four public primary schools in the country.…”

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

“…Amongst this predominantly African origin population, more than 60% of adults over 40 years are overweight or obese since the early 1990's [2]. Gaskin et al estimated overweight prevalence at 27% among adolescents more than a decade ago [3]. These adolescents had inadequate knowledge about appropriate food, body size, and levels of activity.…”

High prevalence of hypertension in obese children in the Caribbean

“…There was a slight but significant difference between the first and second blood pressure measurements. Mean (SD) of the first systolic blood pressure was 115 (17) mmHg and diastolic blood pressure 65 (13) mmHg) and of the second systolic blood pressure was 113 (18) and diastolic blood pressure 63 (13) mmHg (P,0.001). Normal weight, overweight and obese children had systolic hypertension in 13%, 23% and 53% of cases, respectively, and diastolic hypertension in 3%, 7% and 23% of cases, respectively.…”