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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Associations between changes in caregiver's and child's weight status in a community-based obesity intervention
Thomas S Hadley1, Tami L Cave2, José G B Derraik2,3
1Department of Paediatrics, Taranaki District Health Board, New Plymouth, New Zealand.
Insights
Family-centered obesity interventions did not reduce caregiver weight, but caregiver BMI changes were linked to child BMI reductions in Māori participants. Culturally relevant programs are vital for family-wide weight management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Family health interventions
- Public health and epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern with intergenerational implications.
- Family-centered interventions are increasingly explored to address pediatric obesity.
- Understanding the impact of interventions on caregivers is crucial for holistic family health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if caregivers in a family-centered intervention indirectly reduced their body mass index (BMI).
- To determine the association between changes in caregiver BMI and changes in their children's BMI.
- To explore these associations within the context of a New Zealand randomized controlled trial.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving children/adolescents with obesity and their caregivers.
- Assessments of participants' and caregivers' BMI at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months.
- Statistical analysis to examine associations between caregiver BMI changes and child BMI Standard Deviation Score (SDS) changes, with a focus on Māori participants.
Main Results:
- Caregiver BMI remained largely unchanged overall at 12 and 24 months.
- Among Māori participants, reduced caregiver BMI at 12 months correlated with reduced child BMI SDS at 12 and 24 months.
- Māori children whose caregivers' BMI decreased showed significantly greater reductions in BMI SDS compared to others.
Conclusions:
- The family-centered intervention did not directly lead to significant weight reduction in caregivers.
- Caregiver BMI reduction was a significant factor in improving child BMI SDS among Māori participants.
- Culturally tailored, family-focused obesity programs are essential for achieving meaningful, intergenerational weight status improvements.
Objectives:
We examined whether caregivers of children/adolescents enroled in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a family-centred intervention indirectly achieved reductions in body mass index (BMI), and if these were associated with changes in their children's BMI.
Methods:
RCT participants were New Zealand children/adolescents aged 4.8-16.8 years with BMI ≥ 98th percentile or >91st with weight-related comorbidities. Participants and accompanying caregivers were assessed at baseline, 12, and 24 months.
Results:
Overall, caregivers' BMI was unchanged at 12 or 24 months. Among Māori participants, reductions in caregivers' BMI at 12 months were associated with reductions in their children's BMI SDS at 12 (r = 0.30; p = 0.038) and 24 months (r = 0.39; p = 0.009). Further, children identifying as Māori whose caregivers' BMI decreased at 12 months had greater BMI SDS reductions at 12 months [-0.30 (95% CI -0.49, -0.10); p = 0.004] and 24 months [-0.39 (95% CI -0.61, -0.16); p = 0.001] than children of caregivers with increased/unchanged BMI.
Conclusions:
This intervention programme for children/adolescents with obesity did not indirectly reduce caregiver weight status. However, reductions in caregivers' BMI were key to BMI SDS reductions among Māori participants. Given the intergenerational nature of obesity, our findings highlight the importance of culturally relevant, family-focused programmes to achieve clinically meaningful improvements in weight status across the family.
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