Obesity and related risk factors among low socio-economic status minority students in Chicago

Abstract

Objectives: To assess overweight and related risk factors among urban low socioeconomic status (SES) African-American adolescents in an attempt to study the underlying causes of ethnicity and gender disparities in overweight. Methods: Cross-sectional data collected on anthropometric measures, diet, physical activity and family characteristics from 498 students in grades 5-7 in four Chicago public schools were analysed to study the risk factors for overweight using stepwise regression analysis. Results: Only 37.2% of the students lived with two parents. Nearly 90% had a television (TV) in their bedroom, and had cable TV and a video game system at home. Overall. 21.8% (17.7% boys versus 25.1% girls) were overweight (body mass index (BMI) $ 95th percentile); and 39.8% had a BMI $ 85th percentile. Compared with national recommendations, they had inadequate physical activity and less than desirable eating patterns. Only 66.1% reported having at least 20 min vigorous exercise or 30 min of light exercise in $ 5 days over the past 7 days; 62.1% spent . 3 h days 21 watching TV/playing video games/computer, while 33.1% spent $5 h days 21 . Their vegetable and fruit consumption was low, and they consumed too many fried foods and soft drinks: 55.1% consumed fried food twice or more daily and 19.5% four times or more daily; 70.3% consumed soft drinks twice or more daily and 22.0% four times or more daily on average. Gender, physical activity and pocket money were significant predictors of overweight (P ,0.05). Conclusions: Several factors in the students' behaviours, school and family environments may increase overweight risk among this population. There is a great need for health promotion programmes with a focus on healthy weight and lifestyle, and targeting urban low-SES minority communities.

Estado nutricional e tempo de tela de escolares da Rede Pública de Ensino Fundamental de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

“…Em passado recente, a medida do tempo assistindo à televisão era o marcador utilizado para caracterizar um estilo de vida sedentário, pelo fato de a TV ser onipresente, com pelo menos um aparelho na maioria das casas de família nos países desenvolvidos 4 . De fato, pesquisa em amostra de 498 estudantes de baixa renda de quatro escolas públicas em Chicago, Estados Unidos, em 2003, verificou que todos os adolescentes tinham televisão em casa, quase 90% a tinham no quarto e também por assinatura 5 .…”

Influence of programmed physical activity on body composition among adolescent students

“…Com isso, as crianças e adolescentes com sobrepeso/ obesidade vêm apresentando doenças de adultos: algumas precoces, como distúrbios psicossociais, depressão, isolamento, baixa autoestima, e outras tardias, como hipertensão, diabetes e doenças cardiovasculares [3][4][5][6] . Ferreira et al 7 verificaram relação da síndrome metabólica e dos fatores de risco para desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares de acordo com a resistência à insulina em crianças obesas, dados confirmados pela revisão de Lottenberg et al 8 .…”

Fatores socioeconômicos, demográficos, ambientais e comportamentais associados ao excesso de peso em adolescentes: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

“…and OW was distinct between developed and developing countries. An inverse association between socioeconomic level and OW was observed in developed countries (34,(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51) , while a direct relation was observed in developing countries. The fact that these results were also found in studies with a higher point percentage according to the STROBE report checklist (44,48,51) should also be pointed out.…”