Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 21, Issue 4, 2019, Pages 737-750

Drivers of Overweight/Obesity in 4–11 Year Old Children of Australians and Immigrants; Evidence from Growing Up in Australia (Article)

Zulfiqar T.* , Strazdins L. , Dinh H. , Banwell C. , D’Este C.
  • a National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National UniversityACT, Australia, Research School of Population Health, National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University Canberra, Room 1.29, Building 62, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  • b National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National UniversityACT, Australia
  • c National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National UniversityACT, Australia
  • d National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National UniversityACT, Australia
  • e National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National UniversityACT, Australia

Abstract

Despite high overweight/obesity rates in children of Australian immigrants, the risk factors are unknown. We investigated behavioural risk factors and their association with overweight/obesity in 4–11 year-old children by immigrant status. We conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of 8 years data from the longitudinal study of Australian children. Immigrant children from low-and-middle-income-countries had higher overweight/obesity rates across all ages. These children had higher vegetables and sugar-sweetened-beverages intake, higher sedentary activities and lower organized-sports participation than immigrant children from high-income-countries or Australian-children. Organized-sports participation and screen-time converged to the Australian norms in 10–11 year-old boys, but not in girls. Preference for sedentary activities and screen-time explained the differences in overweight/obesity by maternal immigrant status in boys but not in girls. The difference in drivers of overweight/obesity amongst immigrant children from low-and-middle-income-countries suggest more nuanced age, sex and culturally sensitive preventive health messages for immigrants. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

diet Childhood obesity Sedentary activities immigrants

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85057895574&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-018-0841-3&partnerID=40&md5=6accb0ad2bd963aba607b222e008f313
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0841-3
ISSN: 15571912
Original Language: English