Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity Research Articles

Children's perspectives and experiences of health, diet, physical activity and weight in an urban, multi-ethnic UK population: A qualitative study.

Children from Black and South Asian ethnic groups are at risk for childhood obesity in the United Kingdom. To inform local action for childhood obesity prevention, it is crucial to explore the basis of ethnic disparities and consider the perspectives of children. This study aimed to understand cultural and contextual factors influencing childhood obesity in an ethnically diverse population using child-centred methodology. 'Draw, write and tell' interviews were held with children aged 9-10 years in Coventry, an urban, multi-ethnic city in the United Kingdom. Data were analysed thematically using framework analysis. Twenty-six children participated (85% from Black or minority ethnic groups). Children's perspectives revealed universal themes around health, diet, physical activity and weight and highlighted issues specific to ethnic groups and those living in deprived areas. An underlying feature was weight-based stigmatization and group stereotyping, and an emphasis on internal factors as the cause of obesity. Children described some experiences of social disadvantage but did not regard these as a barrier to being physically active. Children identified cultural or religious practices or experiences of migration that influenced diet and physical activity. These findings allow a broad range of children's perspectives to inform future intervention design. In addition, the study was able to identify the many similarities and small amount of diversity in children's perspectives across ethnic groups.

A Study to Assess the Knowledge on Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity among School Children in Selected School, Kanchipuram District, Tamilnadu

Childhood obesity is a major public health crisis nationally and internationally. Hence, effective intervention strategies are being used to prevent and control obesity in children is necessary8. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge on factors influencing childhood obesity among school children in selected schools at Kanchipuram. District, Tamil Nadu. The objectives of the study were to assess the Knowledge on factors influencing childhood obesity and to associate the Knowledge on factors influencing childhood obesity among school children with selected demographic variables. By using descriptive research design and by using simple random sampling the total of 60 samples were selected. The study finding revealed that the frequency distribution in the study shows that majority 3(5%) were having adequate knowledge, 37(62%) of them having moderate knowledge and 20(33%) of them having inadequate knowledge on childhood obesity. Regarding association there is significant association of factors influencing childhood obesity among school children with selected demographic variables like type of family, monthly family income, dietary habit, height in cms and there is no significant association between factors influencing childhood obesity with demographic variables like age, number of sibling to children, education status and weight in kg.

A study to assess the effectiveness of need basedplanned teaching programme on factors influencing childhood obesity among the mothers of school going children (6–12 years) in selected school at Rajkot

A study to assess the effectiveness of need basedplanned teaching programme on factors influencing childhood obesity among the mothers of school going children (6–12 years) in selected school at Rajkot

Factors influencing childhood obesity - the establishment of a population-wide monitoring system in Germany.

Obesity poses a danger to childhood health and can continue to have a negative impact on health into adulthood. Currently, about 15% of children and adolescents in Germany are overweight or obese. Moreover, significant data on the multifactorial causes of childhood obesity that is systematically recorded, regularly updated and obtainable at the nationwide level are not yet available in Germany. As such, the Robert Koch Institute is establishing a population-wide system to monitor the factors that are relevant to childhood obesity (AdiMon). AdiMon will be available by the end of 2017. This paper outlines the methodological approach that is being used to establish AdiMon and describes the current results of the project (the development of an initial set of core indicators). The project began by undertaking a systematic literature review aimed at piecing together the latest knowledge on factors that influence childhood obesity. The factors that were identified were then sorted according to relevance, and appropriate indicators were selected. This was followed up by research into data sources that - as far as possible - provide significant data that are regularly collected but that also provide for regional differentiation. Work is currently underway to analyse these indicators and data sources. Once this work has been completed, the indicator set will be finalised and the results published on the internet. Population-wide monitoring of factors relevant to childhood obesity takes the following types of indicators into account: behavioural factors (such as physical activity), biological factors (such as genetic predisposition), prenatal and early-childhood factors (such as breastfeeding), psychosocial factors (such as parents' health consciousness), environmental factors (such as playgrounds in the local area), contextual factors (such as a migrant background) and prevention measures as well as measures to promote health (such as expenditure by statutory health insurers). The population-wide monitoring uses the following data sources: epidemiological studies, social sciences surveys, official statistics and geo-information systems, as well as routine, economic and media data. This paper demonstrates that population-wide monitoring can provide significant information about the distribution and causes of obesity in childhood, and thus enable the need for action to be recognised at an early stage, initial approaches for preventive measures to be identified and developments to be tracked over time.

Prevalence of Obesity among 6 to 12 Year Old School Children in Kolenchery, Kerala

Childhood obesity is one of the major public health threats both nationally and internationally. The prevalence of childhood obesity in India has been increasing at an alarming pace owing its credit to fast food culture, changing habits of children as well as the parents. An imbalance between calorie intake and calories utilized by the growing child's body is what primarily leads to malnutrition. One or more factors (genetic, behavioural, and environmental) cause obesity in children. Obese children and their families suffer physical, psychological, and social problems. Hence, effective intervention strategies are needed to prevent and control obesity in children. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of childhood obesity among 6 to 12 year old school going children at Kolenchery, Kerala, address various factors influencing childhood obesity, so that a variety of interventions and governmental actions to address this challenge can be developed.

Community Stakeholders' Perceptions of Major Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity, the Feasibility of Programs Addressing Childhood Obesity, and Persisting Gaps.

Prior research has identified numerous factors contributing to increased rates of childhood obesity. However, few studies have focused explicitly on the experience of community stakeholders in low-income communities. This study sought to capture the perspectives of these on-the-ground experts regarding major factors contributing to childhood obesity as well as gaps in current prevention and control efforts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 stakeholders from different community sectors (e.g., healthcare providers, childcare providers, teachers). Data were drawn from the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project, a multi-level, multi-sector intervention designed to reduce childhood obesity being implemented in two low-income communities in Massachusetts. Interviews were conducted at baseline, transcribed, coded using grounded theory approach, and analyzed in NVivo 10.0. The vast majority of stakeholders had recently participated in obesity prevention strategies, and nearly all of them identified gaps in prevention efforts either within their organizations or in the broader community. In addition to factors previously identified in the literature, several themes emerged including the need to change policies to increase physical activity during school, offer healthier snacks in schools and afterschool programs, and increase communication and collaboration within the community in prevention efforts. Community stakeholders can impact the success of interventions by bridging the gap between science and lived experience. The results of this study can guide future research by highlighting the importance of including stakeholders' frontline experiences with target populations, and using information on identified gaps to augment intervention planning efforts.

Geographical heterogeneity of the relationship between childhood obesity and socio-environmental status: Empirical evidence from Athens, Greece

Childhood obesity (ChO11ChO: Childhood Obesity; OLS: Ordinary Least Square; GWR: Geographically Weighted Regression; SES: Socio-Economic Status; GIS: Geographic Information Systems; AICc: corrected Akaike Information Criterion.) has been recognized as an epidemic in many developed and developing countries. The understanding of the spatial relationships between ChO and socio-environmental status is critical in order to control this epidemic. In this paper, we investigate these relationships and consider empirical evidence from Athens, Greece. We examine the association between ChO and socioeconomic status (education level, family income) and living conditions (population density, land cover of green and recreational areas) by using both global and local statistical analyses. For this purpose, we used survey obesity data collected in 2007 from 18,296 students in the primary schools of Athens. Moreover, we investigated the significance and spatial inequalities of the association between ChO and socio-environmental conditions of the study area. The results from global statistical modeling showed that education level is the most significant predictor of ChO. Furthermore, local Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) modeling revealed that areas characterized by low educational level, high population density, low family income and limited coverage of green/recreation zones constituted an “obesogenic” environment. The findings of the proposed analysis promote our understanding of the factors influencing childhood obesity and may prove beneficial for the development of policies that target ChO.

Process and Impact Evaluation of theRomp & ChompObesity Prevention Intervention in Early Childhood Settings: Lessons Learned from Implementation in Preschools and Long Day Care Settings

The Romp & Chomp controlled trial, which aimed to prevent obesity in preschool Australian children, was recently found to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity and improve children's dietary patterns. The intervention focused on capacity building and policy implementation within various early childhood settings. This paper reports on the process and impact evaluation of this trial and the lessons learned from this complex community intervention. Process data was collected throughout and audits capturing nutrition and physical activity-related environments and practices were completed postintervention by directors of Long Day Care (LDC) centers (n = 10) and preschools (n = 41) in intervention and comparison (n = 161 LDC and n = 347 preschool) groups. The environmental audits demonstrated positive impacts in both settings on policy, nutrition, physical activity opportunities, and staff capacity and practices, although results varied across settings and were more substantial in the preschool settings. Important lessons were learned in relation to implementation of such community-based interventions, including the significant barriers to implementing health-promotion interventions in early childhood settings, lack of engagement of for-profit LDC centers in the evaluation, and an inability to attribute direct intervention impacts when the intervention components were delivered as part of a health-promotion package integrated with other programs. These results provide confidence that obesity prevention interventions in children's settings can be effective; however, significant efforts must be directed toward developing context-specific strategies that invest in policies, capacity building, staff support, and parent engagement. Recognition by funders and reviewers of the difficulties involved in implementing and evaluating such complex interventions is also critical to strengthening the evidence base on the effectiveness of such public health approaches to obesity prevention.

Introduction: The First Forum on Child Obesity Interventions

Introduction: The First Forum on Child Obesity Interventions

Sociodemographic factors influencing childhood obesity

Sociodemographic factors influencing childhood obesity

Prevalence of obesity and its influencing factor among affluent school children of Davangere city

<b>Background: </b> Childhood obesity is a fast emerging problem for which national representative data is scarce. Effective preventive of adult obesity will require prevention and management of childhood obesity.<br><b> Objectives: </b> To know the prevalence of obesity in two affluent school children of Davangere city studying between 5th and 10th standard and to identify the factors influencing childhood obesity.<br><b> Methods: </b> A cross sectional study followed by a case control study was conducted in two affluent schools of Davangere city - Sri. Siddaganga and Sri. Taralabalu residential school. A total of 1496, school children studying between 5th & 10th standard aged between 10 and 15 years were enrolled and data on family history of obesity, diet, snacking habits and physical activity was collected.<br><b> Results: </b> Out of 1496 children 86 were obese. Prevalence of obesity was 5.74 %. Prevalence of obesity was more in girls (8.82%) than boys ( 4.42%). Prevalence of obesity increased, with increase in age in both boys and Girls. Family history of obesity, snacking of high energy foods and lack of physical activity were the important influencing factors of obesity. <br><b> Conclusion : </b> Consumption of high fat and high energy (Junk foods) and snacking in between the meals should be avoided by children. Health education should be given to parents, teachers and children regarding dietary habit and sedentary life style.

Risk factors influencing childhood obesity

Risk factors influencing childhood obesity