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Obesity in Mexican-American preschool children--a population group at risk
M A Alexander1, J B Sherman, L Clark
1University of Arizona College of Nursing, Tucson.
Insights
Mexican-American mothers of obese children perceived chubby infants as ideal more often. This highlights a potential target for interventions to prevent childhood obesity in this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Previous research identified the Mexican-American population as at risk for obesity.
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern with complex contributing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between Mexican-American mothers' nutrition knowledge, feeding practices, and perceptions of ideal body size and their preschool children's obesity status.
- To identify maternal factors that may predict or be associated with childhood obesity in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 143 Mexican-American mothers and their preschool children.
- Data collection included maternal interviews and questionnaires on nutrition knowledge, feeding practices, weight locus of control, and ideal infant body habitus.
Main Results:
- Obese children had significantly higher mean birth weights and their mothers had higher body mass indexes compared to nonobese children.
- Mothers of obese children were significantly more likely to idealize a chubby infant body shape.
Conclusions:
- Maternal perception of ideal infant body size is associated with childhood obesity in the Mexican-American population.
- Findings can inform public health nurses about at-risk children and guide targeted obesity prevention strategies.
Abstract:
This research built on our previous work focusing on the Mexican-American population as one group at risk for the development of obesity. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among knowledge of nutrition, feeding practices, values, and select demographic variables of Mexican-American mothers and obesity in their preschool children. One hundred forty-three mothers of children were recruited to participate. Each mother was interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires regarding maternal nutrition knowledge, maternal feeding practices, weight locus of control, and ideal infant body habitus. Compared to thin infants and their mothers, obese children had a significantly greater mean birth weight and their mothers had a significantly greater body mass index. Analysis of responses to the ideal infant body habitus scale revealed that mothers of obese children selected a chubby baby as ideal significantly more often than mothers of nonobese children. The data collected from this study can alert public health nurses to children at risk for obesity.