Obesity Among US Urban Preschool Children

Abstract

In a sample of preschool children drawn from 20 large US cities, the high prevalence of obesity among Hispanics relative to blacks or whites was not explained by racial/ethnic differences in maternal education, household income, or food security.

Maternal BMI and Country of Birth as Indicators of Childhood Obesity in Children of Mexican Origin

“…When we examined only the children classified as overweight, we observed that in addition to maternal obesity and country of birth, maternal educational attainment was also a significant predictor. Consistent with a previous study among Hispanics residing in the U.S. (23), another among Mexicans (24), and yet another among Germans (25), we found that mothers with less than a high school education were more likely to have overweight children than their more educated peers.…”

The role of early life factors in the development of ethnic differences in growth and overweight in preschool children: a prospective birth cohort

“…Similar findings were also reported in Australia for Mediterranean white children from the age of 5 years onwards [5]. In contrast to the results of Whitaker and Orzol, who concluded that the higher prevalence of overweight in Hispanic children could not be explained by maternal education, household income or food security, our study showed a large contribution of maternal educational level [16]. This may be due to the difference in country-specific ethnicities, and underlying history of migration.…”

Obesity and Dental Caries in School Children

“…They found that for every 1% increase in low income, obesity increases by 1.17% [28]. However, another study found that Mexican Americans had the highest rates of obesity regardless of socioeconomic status [29]. Both results align with the findings that low socioeconomic status and being Mexican American are both correlated with obesity.…”