The Great Recession weighted on Portuguese children: A structural equation modeling approach considering eating patterns

Abstract

Objectives: Further evidence on how the Great Recession was associated with childhood obesity is needed, particularly when the world is facing a new and severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores: (1) the direct association of the 2008's economic crisis with eating patterns and body mass index (BMI), among children, independently of their socioeconomic status (SES), and (2) the indirect association between the crisis and children's BMI, by using eating patterns as mediators. Methods: A sample of children (n = 8472, mean age: 7.17 years old, 50.8% male) was recruited in schools from the cities of Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon, Portugal. Children's height and weight were objectively measured; BMI was calculated. Other data were collected by a parental questionnaire. A structural equation modeling studied the associations between the economic crisis impact, eating patterns, and BMI; model was adjusted for SES.Results: Children in families that reported a greater impact of the economic crisis showed higher consumption of unhealthy food items and lower consumption of healthy foods, regardless of SES. Indirectly, children whose parents scored higher in the economic crisis impact had higher BMI mediated by a higher consumption of cakes/chocolates and lower intake of vegetables/ salads. Conclusions:The economic crisis was associated with higher BMI and unhealthy eating patterns. Efforts to promote healthy diets and weight are needed at a population level rather than for specific social classes, particularly in the face of a new economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early-life exposure to economic stress and metabolic risks in young adulthood: the children of the reunification in East Germany

“…Second, because the KiGGS did not provide information on the respondents’ exposure to economic stress, but only allowed for a linkage with contextual information on the postreunification economic crisis through geographical information based on the children’s residential location, we must acknowledge the possible influence of unobservable confounders. Previous research has emphasised that during an economic crisis, child health is affected by parental unemployment and financial hardship, and by the family’s socioeconomic gradient 15 16. However, information regarding the parents’ employment status, the household’s financial situation or the family’s socioeconomic status during the postreunification economic crisis was not available in the data.…”

“…The few previous studies that have examined the short-term adverse metabolic health consequences of economic crises for children and adolescents14–16 identified significant adverse effects, but focused solely on subjective health measures. These authors looked at the short-term health responses of individuals aged 0–17, 3–10 years after the onset of the global financial crisis of 2008.…”

“…These authors looked at the short-term health responses of individuals aged 0–17, 3–10 years after the onset of the global financial crisis of 2008. The studies found, for example, a 39% increase in the number of families experiencing food insecurity in the USA14; higher levels of fast food consumption and of average weight gain in Portugal15; and an 8.5% increase in obesity prevalence, a 2.1% increase in junk food consumption, and a 3.61% decrease in physical activity in Catalonia, Spain 16. These adverse health effects may be attributable to family economic stress arising from actual or perceived threats of job loss, reduced income or material hardship that occurred during the economic crisis 1 17–20…”

The Portuguese economic crisis is associated with socioeconomic and sex disparities on children's health‐related behaviors and obesity: A cross‐sectional study

“…Frequency of high-fat food intake was assessed using a scale including subgroups of foods associated with increased risk for diseases of adolescence and adulthood, including obesity (Rodrigues, Carmo, et al, 2022). Five items that provide proportionately high levels of fat were identified, namely: cakes, biscuits, and cookies, sweets/ chocolate (candy), chips (French fries), burgers, and pizzas.…”

“…Using this same dataset, we created an economic crisis impact score that was previously published (Rodrigues, Carmo, et al, 2022). To our knowledge, this was the first composite deprivation index as an indicator of the negative impact of the 2008 economic crisis in the family living conditions, such as, difficulty in buying food items, paying for general expenses, and keeping the home rent/mortgage.…”