Parental education, body mass index and prevalence of obesity among 14-year-old boys between 1987 and 1997 in Wrocław, Poland

The relationship between socioeconomic status and childhood overweight/obesity is linked through paternal obesity and dietary intake: a cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China

Background

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in childhood has increased dramatically over the past decades globally. Thus, the risk factors of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents must be studied.

Objectives

This study aimed to reveal the prevalence of childhood obesity and examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and z-body mass index (z-BMI) via parental obesity and dietary intake using path analysis.

Methods

Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 17,007 participants aged 6–12 years on two avenues per region in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Path analysis was conducted to examine the mediators between SES and z-BMI.

Results

The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 13.36% and 8.60%, respectively, and were positively correlated with the father’s education level, family income, a birth weight > 3000g, a parental obesity history, vegetable intake and red meat intake (all P < 0.05). Four mediators (paternal obesity history, red meat intake, vegetable intake, and nutritional supplements) were observed, and the four path analyses were significant (all P < 0.05). The adjusted total effects on z-BMI were significant for income (βTot = 0.03; P < 0.01), father’s education (βTot = 0.05; P < 0.001), and region (βTot = 0.11; P<0.001), and the total mediation effects were 20.69%, 16.67%, and 5.36%, respectively. All the variables accounted for 12.60% of the z-BMI variance.

Conclusions

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in children was notable, and the relationship between SES and z-BMI was mediated by paternal obesity history and dietary intake.

The relationship between socioeconomic status and childhood overweight/obesity is linked through paternal obesity and dietary intake: a cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in childhood has increased dramatically over the past decades globally. Thus, the risk factors of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents must be studied.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to reveal the prevalence of childhood obesity and examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and z-body mass index (z-BMI) via parental obesity and dietary intake using path analysis.

METHODS

Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 17,007 participants aged 6-12 years on two avenues per region in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Path analysis was conducted to examine the mediators between SES and z-BMI.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 13.36% and 8.60%, respectively, and were positively correlated with the father's education level, family income, a birth weight > 3000g, a parental obesity history, vegetable intake and red meat intake (all P < 0.05). Four mediators (paternal obesity history, red meat intake, vegetable intake, and nutritional supplements) were observed, and the four path analyses were significant (all P < 0.05). The adjusted total effects on z-BMI were significant for income (β_Tot = 0.03; P < 0.01), father's education (β_Tot = 0.05; P < 0.001), and region (β_Tot = 0.11; P<0.001), and the total mediation effects were 20.69%, 16.67%, and 5.36%, respectively. All the variables accounted for 12.60% of the z-BMI variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in children was notable, and the relationship between SES and z-BMI was mediated by paternal obesity history and dietary intake.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in 6-7-Year-Old Children-A Result of 9-Year Analysis of Big City Population in Poland

Excess body weight is a serious public health problem, which affects both adults and children. Unfortunately, the prevalence of excess body weight in children in Poland is not subject to any regular screening. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 6-7-year-old children in the municipality of Gdańsk in the years 2008-2016. The anthropometric parameters of 12,330 children (49.55% girls and 50.45% boys) with a mean age of 6.53 ± 0.38 years were analyzed. The prevalence of overweight was 7.49% (7.91% girls and 7.07% boys) and obesity 4.24% (4.47% girls and 3.99% of boys). There was no difference in the prevalence of neither overweight nor obesity between boys and girls (p = 0.076). However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity combined is higher in girls (12.38% vs. 11.06%, p = 0.023). There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity neither in the group of girls nor in the group of boys in children aged 6-7 years in yearly cohorts examined between 2008 and 2016. The prevalence of excess body weight in this population is at a stable level.

Spillovers between siblings and from offspring to parents are understudied: A review and future directions for research

BACKGROUND

While a large literature has highlighted the protective effects of human capital on an individual's health and to some extent their offspring's health, little evidence is available on the positive spillover benefits of human capital for other family members. We conducted a scoping review of the evidence and identify future directions for research.

METHODS

We systematically searched the public health and economics literature on spillover effects from human capital, as indicated by educational attainment, to the health and/or survival of family members. We assessed (i) downward spillover effects (from parents and/or grandparents to offspring), (ii) horizontal spillover effects (from partners, spouses, and/or siblings), and (iii) upward spillover effects (from offspring to their parents and/or grandparents). We assessed the frequency of studies, their study designs, findings, and identified priority areas to inform future research on spillover effects of human capital.

FINDINGS

A total of 567 studies met our selection criteria. 286 studies assessed downward spillovers, 22 studies assessed horizontal spillovers, and five studies assessed upward spillovers. Studies on horizontal and upward spillovers found universally positive associations between additional education and better health in family members. The majority of studies used cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs as opposed to (quasi-)experimental designs. Further research is needed on horizontal and upward spillovers and research in low-resource settings, in addition to understanding what level of education matters the most, as well as mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Although positive spillovers of human capital between siblings and from offspring to parents are likely, they have been understudied. Estimates of the returns to human capital that exclude these benefits may be too low.

Different effects of living conditions on the variation in BMI and height in children before the onset of puberty

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Biological indicators of children's growth, such as the mean values for both height and weight, are often used as markers of change in living conditions. However, little is known about how the quality of life affects the variation in height and weight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the variation in height and body mass index (BMI) in Polish children between 1966 and 2012. During this period, Poland underwent vast political and socioeconomic changes.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

The study included 5597 boys and 5479 girls aged 7-8 years of age. Socioeconomic status (SES) was defined in three categories: high, medium and low.

RESULTS

Between 1966 and 2012, the mean values for height and BMI significantly increased in both sexes (P<0.001). The variation of these two parameters, however, showed a different pattern. Whereas the variation in Z-values for height remained unchanged in both sexes, the variation in BMI increased in boys (P<0.01) but not in girls. SES affected the variation in Z-BMI in 1978 in both sexes (P<0.001), whereas variation in Z-height between SES categories remained unchanged across all years of surveys in boys. Before the political transformation, significant regional differences were observed in the variances of Z-BMI (P<0.05) but not of Z-height. This pattern changed after the political transformation, when regional differences in variances of Z-BMI disappeared.

CONCLUSIONS

It is concluded that the mean values and the variation of BMI are affected by a changing quality of life, whereas the variation in height is usually independent of living conditions.

Overweight trends among Polish schoolchildren before and after the transition from communism to capitalism

This study aims to reveal the secular trends in body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Polish schoolchildren between the years 1966-2012, during which intense socio-political changes took place. Four surveys were conducted in several districts of Poland looking at 69,746 schoolchildren aged 7-18. Significant increase in mean BMI as well as in the prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed. During this time the highest increase in both mean BMI and excess weight was observed between 1988 and 2012, i.e. after the political transformation, resulting in the improvement of living conditions. However, with respect to girls in late adolescence, between these years, the mean BMI as well as the prevalence of overweight were leveling off, while the percentage of boys with excess body fat in the same developmental category significantly increased in 2012. In the years 1966-1978 and 1978-1988 the pattern of changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity reflected the social and economic circumstances, i.e. temporary economic improvements, or deepening political crises and food shortage. In conclusion, the weight status of schoolchildren strongly reflects socio-political changes that took place in Poland, as well as in most of the Central European countries in the last half century.

Sex differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity, and in extent of overweight index, in children and adolescents (3–18 years) from Kraków, Poland in 1983, 2000 and 2010

Objective

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is now an important health problem. This fact, however, does not reflect the scale of the problem. The aim of the present study was to find how much the BMI threshold was exceeded in a population from Kraków.

Design

The study was based on three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1983, 2000 and 2010. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated based on the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. In addition to these, an extent of overweight (EOW) index was calculated.

Setting

Poland.

Subjects

Children aged 3–18 years (n14 534) from Kraków.

Results

Between the populations examined in 1983 and 2010, the EOW index in boys rose by almost 10 %, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity by 39 %. In girls, however, the EOW index decreased by 45 %, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity remained at similar levels. Analyses in separate age groups showed that the EOW index increased only among early adolescents (150 % for boys, 94 % for girls) and late adolescents (390 % and 64 %, respectively).

Conclusions

The observed increased prevalence of overweight and obesity mainly concerned boys and was accompanied by an increase in the amount by which the BMI threshold values were exceeded.

The relationship of Polish students' height, weight and BMI with some socioeconomic variables

The aim of this study was to assess the variation in student body height, weight and BMI in relation to several socioeconomic factors. Data (collected in 1998) were obtained through a structured questionnaire from 2800 students (1023 men and 1777 women) from Wrocław Universities, Poland. Information on students' age, reported height and weight and their place of residence prior to starting university, the number of siblings and parents' education were collected. Students with mothers or fathers with higher education had, on average, higher mean heights, but after correcting for other socioeconomic variables only place of residence showed a significant association with height and BMI, with those living in medium or large urban centres having a higher mean height and those living in small or medium urban areas having a lower mean BMI.

Changes in central fatness and abdominal obesity in children and adolescents from Cracow, Poland 1983-2000

BACKGROUND

In the light of the world increase of overall and abdominal obesity, little is known about the trends in abdominal obesity and its prevalence in Poland, a country which at the end of 20th underwent a socio-economic transformation that conduced to obesogenic environments.

AIM

The study traced the trends and prevalence of abdominal obesity in two successive cohorts of children and adolescents from Cracow, Poland between 1983 and 2000.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The data examined in this study were from two series of cross-sectional studies; the first in 1983 included 3252 boys and 3288 girls, and the second in 2000 included 2409 boys and 2093 girls aged 4-20. Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were applied to assess the type of fat distribution.

RESULTS

Means of WC and WHtR were higher in juvenile but lower in childhood and late adolescence periods in boys and girls from the 2000 cohort as compared to the 1983 one. The prevalence of abdominal obesity in Cracow children examined in 1983 was 3.9% for boys and 2.4% for girls, and in 2000 was 6.4% and 3.1%, respectively (in boys: chi(2) = 16.03, p = 0.0001; in girls: chi(2) = 1.90, p = 0.1684).

CONCLUSIONS

The 1983-2000 trend towards increasing prevalence of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents from Cracow is not as intensive as in other European countries, e.g. Britain, but it requires further monitoring.

Childcare, height and BMI among female Polish university students, 2005

The aim of this study is to consider whether socio-economic factors are related to the type of childcare and whether the type of childcare, in turn, affects adult stature and BMI. The sample includes 783 female students aged 20-24 (birth cohort of 1981-1985) from the south of Poland. Those whose parents have university education, live in a city and have no siblings attend day-care facilities more frequently than others of the same age, while those who grew up at home under their mothers' care, most frequently live in villages, come from large families and their parents have vocational education. Variables which are associated with being taller include material conditions and the type of childcare received. Women who had attended day-care centres are 2.4cm shorter than girls brought up at home by their mothers. Adult BMI values are influenced by educational level of the mother. The results suggest that mothers who work often do so at the cost of time devoted to the family which influences health and the rate of their children's development.

Preschool children's health and its association with parental education and individual living conditions in East and West Germany

Background

Social inequalities in health exist globally and are a major public health concern. This study focus on a systematic investigation into the associations between health indicators, living conditions and parental educational level as indicator of the social status of 6-year-old children living in West and East Germany in the decade after re-unification. Explanations of observed associations between parental education and health indicators were examined.

Methods

All boys and girls entering elementary school and living in predefined areas of East and West Germany were invited to participate in a series of cross-sectional surveys conducted between 1991 and 2000. Data of 28,888 German children with information on parental education were included in the analysis. Information about educational level of the parents, individual living conditions, symptoms and diagnoses of infectious diseases and allergies were taken from questionnaire. At the day of investigation, atopic eczema was diagnosed by dermatologists, blood was taken for the determination of allergen-specific immuno-globulin E, height and weight was measured and lung function tests were done in subgroups. Regression analysis was applied to investigate the associations between the health indicators and parental educational level as well as the child's living conditions. Gender, urban/rural residency and year of survey were used to control for confounding.

Results

Average response was 83% in East Germany and 71% in West Germany. Strong associations between health indicators and parental education were observed. Higher educated parents reported more diagnoses and symptoms than less educated. Children of higher educated parents were also more often sensitized against grass pollen or house dust mites, but had higher birth weights, lower airway resistance and were less overweight at the age of six. Furthermore, most of the health indicators were significantly associated with one or more living conditions such as living as a single child, unfavourable indoor air, damp housing condition, maternal smoking during pregnancy or living near a busy road. The total lung capacity and the prevalence of an atopic eczema at the day of investigation were the only health indicators those did not show associations with any of the predictor variables.

Conclusion

Despite large differences in living conditions and evidence that some poor health outcomes were directly associated with poor living conditions, only few indicators demonstrated poorer health in social disadvantaged children. These were in both parts of Germany increased levels of overweight, higher airway resistance and, in East Germany only, reduced height in children with lower educated parents compared to those of higher education. In both East and West Germany, higher prevalence of airway symptoms was associated with a damp housing condition, and lower birth weight, reduced height and increased airway resistance at the age of six were associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. The latter explained to a large extent the difference in birth weight and airway resistance between the educational groups.

Overweight and obesity at school entry among migrant and German children: a cross-sectional study

Background

Overweight and obesity have become a global epidemic and are increasing rapidly in both childhood and adolescence. Obesity is linked both to socioeconomic status and to ethnicity among adults. It is unclear whether similar associations exist in childhood. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in overweight and obesity in migrant and German children at school entry.

Methods

The body mass index (BMI) was calculated for 525 children attending the 2002 compulsory pre-school medical examinations in 12 schools in Bielefeld, Germany. We applied international BMI cut off points for overweight and obesity by sex and age. The migration status of children was based on sociodemographic data obtained from parents who were interviewed separately.

Results

The overall prevalence of overweight in children aged 6–7 was 11.9% (overweight incl. obesity), the obesity prevalence was 2.5%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher for migrant children (14.7% and 3.1%) than for German children (9.1% and 1.9%). When stratified by parental social status, migrant children had a significantly higher prevalence of overweight than German children in the highest social class. (27.6% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.032) Regression models including country/region and socioeconomic status as independent variables indicated similar results. The patterns of overweight among migrant children differed only slightly depending on duration of stay of their family in Germany.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that children from ethnic minorities in Germany are more frequently overweight or obese than German children. Social class as well as family duration of stay after immigration influence the pattern of overweight and obesity in children at school entry.

Social inequality and obesity in Czech school children

This study uses logistic regressions to consider the effect of social factors, physical activity, meal frequency and BMI of parents on children's body mass index (BMI) values. Three thousand three hundred and sixty-two children aged 7-11 years were examined in 38 schools in the Czech Republic. Six anthropometric characteristics were assessed in 1999-2000. Most important factors influencing children's BMI values were: obesity of both or at least one of the parents, being an only child, residence in small communities, and irregular breakfasts.

The relationship between parental nutritional status and overweight children/adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

BACKGROUND

The association between overweight parents and overweight children/adolescents was investigated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between 1995 and 1996, controlling for the influence of socio-economic and demographic factors.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a two-stage, residence-based, random sample survey of children and adolescents aged 6-19 years and their parents. Body mass index (BMI) was used to classify nutritional status. Initially, a logistic regression model was built, using an indicator of parental weight (maternal BMI) as one of the independent variables and the child/adolescent's BMI as the dependent variable. Following that, the association between socio-economic and demographic variables and overweight children/adolescents was analysed in a univariate analysis. These variables were pre-selected for inclusion in the logistic model, provided that their levels of statistical significance were below P=0.25, and were added to the model individually according to the order of association strength in the univariate analysis. Finally, variables were retained in this model at a significance level of P=0.05.

RESULTS

This study found that 20.7% of girls and 26.9% of boys were overweight, with a larger prevalence among children aged less than 9 years. In addition to maternal BMI, the predictors of overweight children and adolescents were age, gender and the number of people in a house.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate the relationship between maternal nutritional status and overweight children and adolescents, suggesting that obesity-prevention programmes should be focused on the family.