Abstract
Childhood overweight and obesity, is an emerging public health concern in developing countries like Bangladesh. However, regular television watching by child’s mother and its impact on excess weight gain or overweight and obesity to their offspring is not reported elsewhere. The aim of the present analysis was to determine the socio-demographic characteristics among overweight and obese children based on those mothers who watch television regularly and compare this finding with malnourished and well-nourished under-5 children. A total of 20,800 under-5 children were enrolled during 1996 to 2012 in the Diarrheal Disease Surveillance System (DDSS) of Dhaka Hospital of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). Mean weight-for-age z-score (–1.61 vs. –2.30; mean difference: ?0.69; p < 0.001), height-for-age z-score (–1.42 vs. –1.99; –0.57; <0.001), weight-for-height z-score (–1.59 vs. –1.07; –0.53; <0.001), BMI-for-age z-score (–1.09 vs. –1.61, –0.52; <0.001) differed significantly between the children whose mother did and did not watch television regularly. Under-5 children whose mother watched television regularly (2%) compared to those who did not (1%), had 2.28 [(95% CI-1.61 - 3.24) p < 0.001] times increased odds of being overweight and obese. Television watching of mothers is associated with childhood overweight and obesity and is one of the most public health concerns in Bangladesh. These changes may be in part of better socio-economic condition, changes in life style behaviour and dietary pattern.
Highlights
The double burden of under nutrition and over nutrition has already been determined as global health concern [1] [2]
Due to limitation of data on impact of regular watching of television by mother on childhood overweight and obesity, we evaluated the same from 1996-2012 by observing 20,800 under-5 children
It is difficult to explain such association with childhood overweight and obesity based on the present cross-sectional surveillance system and does not allow for any causal inference of children with diarrhea due to lack of life-style and behavioural information
Summary
The double burden of under nutrition and over nutrition has already been determined as global health concern [1] [2]. Prevalence of childhood obesity has been increased sharply during the past few decades [3] [4]. This number has become double in the last two or three decades in the developed as well as developing region [5]. Overweight and obesity, an emerging childhood malnutrition, is a growing public health concern in developing countries like Bangladesh affecting all age groups as well [6] [7]. Several socio-economic and behavioural factors which are associated with childhood overweight and obesity include the relentless access to mass media especially watching television [8] [9]
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