The Risk of Obesity for Children with Obese Mothers is Greater for Latinos and African Americans Than Whites from Low-Income Households

Objectives To investigate whether the magnitude of the increased obesity risk from having an obese mother is greater for children from certain racial/ethnic groups. Methods Low-income households were randomly selected in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and sent a tape measure for recording height prior to English or Spanish telephone interviews with mothers and children (5–17 years). Reported height (kilograms), weight (centimeters), gender, and age were used to calculate BMI. Children ≥the 95th percentile were classified as obese. Children with missing (9.0% of the sample) or extreme (< 1 of the sample) height or weight were excluded from the analyses. Relationships between mother and childhood obesity status controlled for children's age and gender, and mothers’ education. Results The analytic sample was 8603; 5415 children 5 to 11 years and 3188 children 12 to 17 years. The overall response rate was 70.2%. The sample was 67.1% Latino, 15.0% African American, and 14.2% white. The adjusted obesity prevalence was 23.2%; 25.2% for children 5 to 11 years and 20.6% for children 12 to 17 years. African American (OR 1.67, 95% CI, 1.38–2.02) and Latino (OR 1.43, 95% CI, 1.22–1.68) children had higher obesity rates than white children. As hypothesized, children with obese mothers were more likely to be obese. The increased odds of childhood obesity for having an obese mother was significantly greater for African American (OR 2.33, 95% CI, 1.97–3.03) and Latino children (OR 2.21, 95% CI, 1.95–2.50) than for white children (OR 1.84, 95% CI, 1.37–2.48). Conclusions One-fourth of children 5 to 11 years and one-fifth of children 12 to 17 years from low-income households in California are obese. In line with past research, white children were less likely to be obese than Latino and African American children. Our prevalence findings are subject to self-report biases. Yet, the increased risk of obesity for children with obese mothers for Latino and African American children are less subject to invalidity. Our study uniquely contributes to the research literature by demonstrating that disparities across racial/ethnic groups extend to the increased risk of obesity for Latino and African American children whose mother is obese, compared with white children with an obese mother. Funding Sources California Department of Social Services.