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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Parenthood--a contributing factor to childhood obesity

Fatma G Huffman1, Sankarabharan Kanikireddy, Manthan Patel

  • 1Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA. huffmanf@fiu.edu

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|August 19, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children in single-parent households are more overweight and consume more calories and saturated fats. Black children also showed higher overweight prevalence. Parental status impacts child health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Nutrition Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity prevalence is rising globally.
  • Parental factors significantly influence children's eating habits, weight, and cholesterol levels.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parental household structure (single-parent vs. dual-parent) and children's health outcomes.
  • To analyze the impact of parental status on children's Body Mass Index (BMI), nutrient intake, and blood cholesterol.
  • To examine racial differences in childhood overweight prevalence.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994).
  • Analyzed data from 219 single-parent and 780 dual-parent households.
  • Compared children's BMI, dietary nutrient intake, and blood cholesterol based on household structure and race.

Main Results:

  • Children from single-parent households had significantly higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (p < 0.01).
  • Higher total calorie and saturated fatty acid intake was observed in children from single-parent households (p < 0.05).
  • Black children exhibited a higher prevalence of being overweight compared to other racial groups (p < 0.04).

Conclusions:

  • A strong correlation exists between single-parent household status and increased childhood overweight.
  • Dietary patterns and obesity risk in children are influenced by parental household structure.
  • Parental involvement is recommended for developing targeted school- and community-based obesity prevention programs.

Keywords:
BMINHANESblood-cholesterolchildhood obesitychildren’s dietsingle-parent households

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