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Updated: Dec 10, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Parenting and social-ecological correlates with children's health behaviours: A latent profile analysis
Emily Fu1, Kevin J Grimm2, Cady Berkel3,4
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to distinct behavior profiles in families, influenced by parenting and environment. Understanding these patterns is key for effective weight management interventions in diverse populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Obesity Research
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Paediatric obesity presents significant short- and long-term health risks for children.
- Multi-level ecological models suggest interpersonal relationships significantly influence children's health behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify distinct profiles of individual and interpersonal health behaviors and parenting skills among caregivers and their children with elevated Body Mass Index (BMI).
Main Methods:
- Latent profile analysis was employed with 240 children (ages 5-12, BMI ≥85th percentile) and their caregivers.
- Data included caregiver-reported parenting skills, child physical activity, eating behaviors, food/beverage choices, family routines (mealtime, media, sleep), and parent health behaviors.
- Associations with food and housing insecurity were examined.
Main Results:
- A three-class model identified distinct profiles characterized by variations in parenting skills, child behaviors, family routines, and parent health habits.
- Food and housing insecurity were significantly associated with profile membership.
- Child and caregiver anthropometrics did not differentiate the identified profiles.
Conclusions:
- Distinct behavioral and contextual profiles exist within a diverse, low-income sample of children with elevated BMI.
- These findings highlight the critical need to assess individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors in childhood obesity interventions.
Background:
Paediatric obesity poses dangers to children's short and long-term health. Multi-level ecological models posit how children's health behaviours are influenced by interpersonal relationships.
Objectives:
To identify profiles of individual and interpersonal health behaviours and parenting skills among caregivers and their children with elevated BMI.
Methods:
Participants were 240 children (63.7% Latino) ages 5 to 12 years with body mass index ≥85th percentile and their caregivers in a paediatric weight management intervention trial. A latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles among caregiver report of parenting skills; child physical activity, eating behaviours, and food and beverage choices; family mealtime, media and sleep routines; and parent health behaviours, and associations with food and housing insecurity.
Results:
A three-class model was chosen based on conceptual interpretation and model fit. Profiles were differentiated by parenting skills, child food choices, child physical activity habits, family mealtime, media, and sleep routines, and parent health behaviours. Food and housing insecurity were associated with class membership while child and caregiver anthropometrics were not.
Conclusions:
Distinct profiles existed among this low-income, racially/ethnically diverse sample of children with elevated BMI. Such findings emphasize the importance of assessing individual and interpersonal influences and contextual factors on childhood obesity.
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