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Do family characteristics explain a social gradient in overweight in early childhood?

  • Background Children's overweight is associated with many factors, including their living situation, in particular their family's socioeconomic position (SEP) and family characteristics. Research on the extent to which family characteristics account for a social gradient in overweight in early life is scarce. This study evaluated whether family characteristics explain SEP differences in the risk of overweight in early childhood. Methods The study used baseline data of 3-6 year-old children (n = 1,116) from the intervention ‘Ene mene fit’ conducted at kindergartens in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Data included overweight (body mass index > 90 percentile) and parents’ reports on their education and family characteristics associated with overweight (child consumes: sweets in front of TV, soft drinks; family joined time: outdoor, breakfast, sports; cooking; child sets table; role model). Model-based single mediation analyses decomposed the total effect of highest parental education on overweight into direct (unmediated) and indirectBackground Children's overweight is associated with many factors, including their living situation, in particular their family's socioeconomic position (SEP) and family characteristics. Research on the extent to which family characteristics account for a social gradient in overweight in early life is scarce. This study evaluated whether family characteristics explain SEP differences in the risk of overweight in early childhood. Methods The study used baseline data of 3-6 year-old children (n = 1,116) from the intervention ‘Ene mene fit’ conducted at kindergartens in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Data included overweight (body mass index > 90 percentile) and parents’ reports on their education and family characteristics associated with overweight (child consumes: sweets in front of TV, soft drinks; family joined time: outdoor, breakfast, sports; cooking; child sets table; role model). Model-based single mediation analyses decomposed the total effect of highest parental education on overweight into direct (unmediated) and indirect (mediated) effects (OR, 95% CI). Results Girls and boys with low parental education had higher odds for overweight than children with high/medium education. Among boys, low education influenced the risk of overweight via indirect effects of i. ‘sweets consumption in front of TV’ (OR = 1.31, 1.05-1.59) and ii. ‘no joined sports’ (OR = 1.14, 1.00-1.44). The direct effect of low education only remained significant when ‘no joined sports’ was considered (OR = 2.19, 1.11-5.19). Among girls, family characteristics measured here did not explain SEP differences in overweight. Conclusions The family characteristics ‘sweets consumption in front of TV’ and ‘no joined sports’ contribute to inequalities in overweight among boys, but not among girls. Therefore, more gender-sensitive research is needed to identify family risk and protective characteristics that explain health inequalities among both boys and girls.show moreshow less

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Author: Stephanie HoffmannORCiD, Petra Rattay, Miriam Blume, Claudia Hövener, Sven Schneider, Irene Moor, Claudia R. PischkeORCiD, Wiebke Schüttig, Freia De Bock, Jacob SpallekORCiDGND
URL:https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/32/Supplement_3/ckac129.581/6765540?searchresult=1
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckac129.581
ISSN:1101-1262
ISSN:1464-360X
Title of the source (English):European Journal of Public Health
Document Type:Conference publication peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2022
Tag:early childhood; family characteristics; obesity; social gradient
Volume/Year:32
Issue number:Supplement_3
Number of pages:1
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 4 Humanwissenschaften (bis 2023 Soziale Arbeit, Gesundheit und Musik) / FG Gesundheitswissenschaften
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