Parental obesity as a predictor of childhood overweight/obesity in Australian migrant children

Global Prevalence of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep of Immigrant Children: a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Although insufficient physical activity (PA), high sedentary behaviour (SB), and inadequate sleep are fairly common among children, little is known about these behaviours in immigrant children. This systematic review examined the prevalence of PA, SB, and sleep among immigrant children aged 5-17 years around the globe.

METHODS

Four electronic databases were searched to retrieve the English language peer-reviewed original articles published between 2000 and 2019. Cross-sectional, cohort, or longitudinal studies that reported on the prevalence of PA, SB, or sleep-related outcomes among immigrant children were included.

RESULTS

Of 2724 retrieved articles, 55 were selected for full-text screening and 12 met the eligibility criteria. Five studies were based on nationally representative samples. Over half (n = 7; 58%) of the studies assessed only PA, one reported only sleep, three reported both PA and SB, and one reported all three behaviours. Only one study used device-based measure. Assessment of PA and SB varied greatly across the studies with their differing definitions. The prevalence of doing PA ranged from 48 to 72%. Three studies reported an average sedentary time ranging from 1 to 3 h/day. One study reported that 10-13% of immigrant children in the USA had inadequate sleep. All of the studies reviewed were from Western countries with no study from non-Western countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies should include all three movement behaviours and use standard assessment tools and definitions. Future research should extend beyond Western countries to non-Western countries with immigrant children.

Determinants of childhood obesity in representative sample of children in north East of iran

Childhood obesity has become, a global public health problem, and epidemiological studies are important to identify its determinants in different populations. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with obesity in a representative sample of children in Neishabour, Iran. This study was conducted among 1500 randomly selected 6–12-year-old students from urban areas of Neishabour, northeast of Iran. Then, through a case-control study, 114 obese (BMI ≥ 95th percentile of Iranian reference) children were selected as the case group and were compared with 102 controls (15th ≤ BMI < 85th percentile). Factors suggested to be associated with weight status were investigated, for example, parental obesity, child physical activity levels, socio-economic status (SES), and so forth. The analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) in SPSS version 16. In univariate logistic regression model, birth weight, birth order, family extension, TV watching, sleep duration, physical activity, parents' job, parents' education, parental obesity history, and SES were significantly associated with children's obesity. After MLR analysis, physical activity and parental obesity history remained statistically significant in the model. Our findings showed that physical activity and parental obesity history are the most important determinants for childhood obesity in our population. This finding should be considered in implementation of preventive interventions.

Physical activity and fitness in 8-year-old overweight and normal weight children and their parents

OBJECTIVES

To compare the physical fitness and physical activity of 8-year-old overweight children (n = 53) to normal weight children (n = 65), and to determine whether a significant relationship exists between physical activity of parents and their children.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 119 children from Northern Finland were recruited for the study. Waist circumference, height, weight and BMI were measured. Physical activity of the children and their parents was determined with self-administered 7-day recall questionnaires (PAQ-C). Physical fitness of the children was evaluated with 7 items of the EUROFIT-test battery (flamingo balance test, plate tapping, sit-and-reach test, sit-ups, bent arm hang and 10×5 shuttle run). Aerobic capacity of the children was tested with 6-minute walking test.

RESULTS

Overweigh was related to impaired performance in tests requiring muscle endurance, balance, explosive power of lower extremities, upper body strength and endurance, speed and agility in both genders and aerobic capacity in boys. Physical activity levels of overweight boys (2.41 SD 0.72) were lower than their lean counterparts (2.91 SD 0.64, p = 0.004); no such difference was observed in girls (2.53 SD 0.64 vs. 2.59 SD 0.68, p = 0.741). Physical activity was significantly associated with better performance in several physical fitness tests in boys, but not in girls. Mothers' physical activity was associated with children's physical activity (r = 0.363, p < 0.001), but no such association was found between fathers and children (r = 0.019, p = 0.864).

CONCLUSION

This study shows an inverse relationship between excess bodyweight and physical fitness in children. Mother-child relationship of physical activity appeared to be stronger than father-child relationship. Improving physical fitness in children through physical activity might require interventions that are responsive to the ability and needs of overweight children and their families and focus on helping parents and children to be physically active together.