Association between parent and child weight status among private school children in Delhi, India

Over the past three decades there has been a surge in the prevalence of overweight and obesity worldwide in both adults and children. To date few studies have examined obesity in India and most have only looked at prevalence estimates. While studies in Western countries have identified parent weight status as a predictor of child weight status, there have been no studies examining this association in India. This study examined the relationship between parent weight status and child weight status using an internationally representative growth reference for children and Asian-specific action points for adults. Overall, this study found 29.6% of children and 77.7% of parents in a sample of private schools in Delhi, India were overweight/obese. Parent weight status was found to be associated with child weight status after controlling for child grade and sex. However, while maternal weight status was associated with child weight status (odds ratio=1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-2.20), paternal weight status was not (odds ratio=1.10, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-1.48). The association was greatest between mothers and sons (odds ratio=2.13, 95% confidence interval: 1.39-3.27). These results provide initial evidence that parent weight status is associated with child weight status in Delhi, India. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between parent, particularly maternal, and child weight status to better understand the nature of the relationship and the differences between male and female children. Interventions to address child overweight and obesity in India should include parents as direct targets.