Cross-sectional and prospective associations between household socioeconomic resources, appetite traits, and body size among Samoan infants

Abstract

In high-income countries, household socioeconomic resources (as measured by education, occupation, income, and/or household assets) and childhood obesity risk tend to be negatively associated. This association may arise in part because children from households with fewer resources are exposed to obesogenic environments that shape appetite trait development. In contrast, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) exhibit a positive association between socioeconomic resources and child body size. There is less evidence from LMIC settings about when during development this association emerges and whether appetite traits play a mediatory role. To explore these questions, we examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between socioeconomic resources, appetite traits, and body size among infants in Samoa, an LMIC in Oceania. Data were from the Foafoaga O le Ola prospective birth cohort of 160 mother-infant dyads. Appetite traits were characterized using the Baby and Child Eating Behavior Questionnaires and household socioeconomic resources were quantified using an asset-based measure. While infant body size and household socioeconomic resources were positively associated in both cross-sectional and prospective analyses, we found no evidence that appetite traits mediate this relationship. These results suggest that other aspects of the food environment, such as food security and feeding style, may explain the positive association between socioeconomic resources and body size observed in many LMICs.