Child-caregivers’ body weight and habitual physical activity status is associated with overweight in kindergartners

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine whether child-caregivers’, both parents and kindergarten teachers, health parameters (age, weight status, habitual physical activity score) are significantly associated with the risk of overweight in young children.MethodsWe assessed the individual body mass index standard deviation score in a regional cross-sectional health study and matched a representative sample of 434 kindergartners aged 3 to 6-years with their caregivers’ weight and habitual physical activity status. Furthermore, we identified factors associated with the general ability of child-caregivers to identify overweight in children, and the awareness to classify a child within the correct weight category.ResultsOur study confirmed most of the known associations between parental anthropometrics and psychosocial factors with childhood overweight and obesity. A significantly higher proportion of boys tended to be overweight or obese (p = 0.027) and parents were more likely to misclassified boys overweight as normal weight (OR: 1.86; 95% CI 1.21-2.86). Adjusted for confounders, logistic regression analysis revealed that kindergarten teachers’ weight status (OR: 1.97; 95%-CI: 1.01-3.83) and habitual physical activity scores (OR: 2.32; 95%-CI: 1.10-4.92) were associated with children’s weight status.ConclusionsKindergarten teachers’ weight and habitual physical activity score seem to be new independent risk factors for overweight in kindergartners 3 to 6-years of age. Our results suggest that the psychosocial, non-genetic association of non-parental child-caregivers on children’s weight is relatively high and that the association of non-parental child-caregivers warrants further investigation.

A scoping review of epidemiologic risk factors for pediatric obesity: Implications for future childhood obesity and dental caries prevention research

“…Parent perception of child's weight. Parents who underestimated their child's weight were more likely to have a child identified as obese than parents who accurately estimated their child's weight (34,42,52,63,75,86). Parent perceptions that their child was underweight in the first 2 years of life was associated with greater mean daily total fat and sugar intake in children (34).…”

Diferencias De Composición Corporal Y Condición Fisica en Educadoras De Párvulo Con Normopeso, Sobrepeso Y Obesidad: Estudio Transversal.

“…Incluso estudios habían mostrado influencias específicas del género en algunas clases de ocupaciones en generar sobrepeso y obesidad (19). Hoffman (2013) al igual que los resultados de nuestro estudio encontró que los niveles de sobrepeso y obesidad de educadoras de párvulo estaban por sobre los valores de referencia nacional (20).…”

“…En este sentido, un estudio reciente evaluó a asistentes de educadoras de párvulos, padres y alumnos, confirmando que existía una relación entre el IMC de los padres con los de sus hijos y entre el IMC de la asistentes de las educadoras y el IMC de los alumnos. Estos autores también mencionaron que los comportamientos saludables de las asistentes tenían un efecto duradero en los hábitos de vida de los niños de edad preescolar (20).…”

Gesundheitskompetenz und gesundheitliche Situation von Erzieher/innen

“…Auch zeigte sich, dass adipöse im Vergleich zu normal gewichtigen Erzieher/innen insgesamt gesundheitsschädigenderes Verhalten an den Tag legten [10]. Ergebnisse einer Querschnittstudie deuten zudem darauf hin, dass Übergewicht und ein niedriges Niveau von körperlicher Aktivität (KA) auf Seiten von Erzieher/innen Risikofaktoren für kindliches Übergewicht darstellten, möglicherweise begründet durch ihre Vorbildfunktion [7,9,15].…”