Early Childhood Obesity Risk Factors: Socioeconomic Adversity, Family Dysfunction, Offspring Distress, and Junk Food Self-Medication

OBJECTIVES The prevalence of childhood obesity is significantly higher among racial and/or ethnic minority children in the United States. It is unclear to what extent well-established obesity risk factors in infancy and preschool explain these disparities. Our objective was to decompose racial and/or ethnic disparities in children’s weight status according to contributing socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors. METHODS We used nationally representative data from ~10 700 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort who were followed from age 9 months through kindergarten entry. We assessed the contribution of socioeconomic factors and maternal, infancy, and early childhood obesity risk factors to racial and/or ethnic disparities in children’s BMI z scores by using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analyses. RESULTS The prevalence of risk factors varied significantly by race and/or ethnicity. African American children had the highest prevalence of risk factors, whereas Asian children had the lowest prevalence. The major contributor to the BMI z score gap was the rate of infant weight gain during the first 9 months of life, which was a strong predictor of BMI z score at kindergarten entry. The rate of infant weight gain accounted for between 14.9% and 70.5% of explained disparities between white children and their racial and/or ethnic minority peers. Gaps in socioeconomic status were another important contributor that explained disparities, especially those between white and Hispanic children. Early childhood risk factors, such as fruit and vegetable consumption and television viewing, played less important roles in explaining racial and/or ethnic differences in children’s BMI z scores. CONCLUSIONS Differences in rapid infant weight gain contribute substantially to racial and/or ethnic disparities in obesity during early childhood. Interventions implemented early in life to target this risk factor could help curb widening racial and/or ethnic disparities in early childhood obesity.

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Effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the policy response on childhood obesity risk factors: Gender and sex differences and recommendations for research

Obesity Reviews ◽

10.1111/obr.13222 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Veronika Knebusch ◽

Julianne Williams ◽

Isabel Yordi Aguirre ◽

Martin W. Weber ◽

Ivo Rakovac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Policy Response ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Obesity Risk Factors

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Childhood obesity: risk factors, prevention and management

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1111/jhn.12254 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 411-412 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. C. Langley-Evans ◽

V. H. Moran

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Obesity Risk Factors

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Childhood obesity: how long should we wait to predict weight?

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1515/jpem-2018-0110 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 497-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Éadaoin M. Butler ◽

José G.B. Derraik ◽

Rachael W. Taylor ◽

Wayne S. Cutfield

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Population Based ◽

Future Research ◽

Clinical Prediction ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Clinical Prediction Models ◽

Predictive Capacity ◽

Early Childhood Obesity

AbstractObesity is highly prevalent in children under the age of 5 years, although its identification in infants under 2 years remains difficult. Several clinical prediction models have been developed for obesity risk in early childhood, using a number of different predictors. The predictive capacity (sensitivity and specificity) of these models varies greatly, and there is no agreed risk threshold for the prediction of early childhood obesity. Of the existing models, only two have been practically utilized, but neither have been particularly successful. This commentary suggests how future research may successfully utilize existing early childhood obesity prediction models for intervention. We also consider the need for such models, and how targeted obesity intervention may be more effective than population-based intervention.

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Associations of cord blood metabolites with early childhood obesity risk

International Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1038/ijo.2015.39 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

pp. 1041-1048 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

E Isganaitis ◽

S L Rifas-Shiman ◽

E Oken ◽

J M Dreyfuss ◽

W Gall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Cord Blood ◽

Blood Metabolites ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Early Childhood Obesity

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Childhood Obesity: Risk Factors and Preventive Measures

Medical & Clinical Research ◽

10.33140/mcr.04.05.02 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Cultural Practice ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Common People ◽

Obesity Epidemic ◽

Hormonal Imbalance ◽

The Future ◽

Obesity Risk Factors

The obesity epidemic has grown worldwide in both the developed and developing countries. We are the “present” of the era with ever increasing growth of obesity; the coming generation is our “future”. Future of obesity largely depends on how we are handling it in present. Overweight and obesity prevailing in children has multiple causes from genetic factor, hormonal imbalance to environmental factors, lifestyle preferences and cultural practice. Keeping apart the hormonal, genetic and any physiological causes of obesity which are not in direct control, the remaining factors such as lifestyle, environment and cultural background which can be modulate to help eliminating percentage of existing and future obesity. Evidences have suggested that the major cause of obesity is imbalance between food habits and physical activity. Additional factors as per the recent researches show that excessive use of smart phones has increased the overweight issues and also increases the anxiety among the user. Childhood obesity has maximum chances to develop into adulthood obesity. Therefore, to eradicate the future obesity, there is need to increase the awareness of do's & don'ts to prevent obesity and also the educate common people to know about the pros & cons of obesity. This paper is inclined towards the various risk factors of childhood obesity, and also pointing some preventive and educational measure to avoid obesity in the future.

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Prediction Models for Early Childhood Obesity: Applicability and Existing Issues

Hormone Research in Paediatrics ◽

10.1159/000496563 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 90 (6) ◽

pp. 358-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Éadaoin M. Butler ◽

José G.B. Derraik ◽

Rachael W. Taylor ◽

Wayne S. Cutfield

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Statistical Models ◽

Prediction Models ◽

False Negative ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Wide Range ◽

Early Childhood Obesity ◽

The Impact

Statistical models have been developed for the prediction or diagnosis of a wide range of outcomes. However, to our knowledge, only 7 published studies have reported models to specifically predict overweight and/or obesity in early childhood. These models were developed using known risk factors and vary greatly in terms of their discrimination and predictive capacities. There are currently no established guidelines on what constitutes an acceptable level of risk (i.e., risk threshold) for childhood obesity prediction models, but these should be set following consideration of the consequences of false-positive and false-negative predictions, as well as any relevant clinical guidelines. To date, no studies have examined the impact of using early childhood obesity prediction models as intervention tools. While these are potentially valuable to inform targeted interventions, the heterogeneity of the existing models and the lack of consensus on adequate thresholds limit their usefulness in practice.

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