An examination of immigrant status and association with childhood obesity
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Date
2014-04-04
Authors
Bhaskaran, Joanna
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Abstract
Research regarding childhood obesity in Canadian children has failed to address the effects of immigration on weight status. This study examined correlates of obesity and overweight including family functioning, parenting style (consistent parenting, positive interactions, hostile interactions, and punitive parenting), neighborhood conditions, physical activity, and screen time in immigrant children (i.e., children not born in Canada but currently residing in Canada). Correlates of obesity were examined using the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), a nationally representative data set with several waves of data collection, conducted from 1994 to 2008. The correlates were analyzed using multiple regression models. Neighbourhood factors, family functioning and other parenting factors such as: hostile interaction, positive interactions, punitive parenting and consistent parenting, were not associated with BMI or obesity and overweight status. Contrary to previous findings, time spent in Canada was not associated with physical activity or screen time among immigrant children. None of the variables investigated were significantly associated with obesity and overweight status. This lack of significant findings may have been due to small immigrant sample sizes, inadequate or limited measures of confounding variables; such as macronutrient composition of diet that could not be accounted for in our analysis. However, given that models were run using both logistic and linear regression and results were consistent across the board, there may well have been no relationship between these variables. Findings were non-significant and therefore conclusive findings and recommendations could not be drawn from this study
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Keywords
obesity, immigrant, children