Low-income Mexican-American Children Research Articles

Multilevel prenatal socioeconomic predictors of Mexican American children's cardiometabolic health in preschool and school age.

Using a life course perspective, this longitudinal study examines the extent to which prenatal family- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors influence the cardiometabolic health of low-income Mexican American children. It was hypothesized that prenatal maternal residence in a more economically disadvantaged neighborhood and more family-level economic hardship would each be associated with higher adiposity and blood pressure (BP) at child age 4.5 years, and higher adiposity, BP, inflammation and a less healthy lipid profile at child age 7.5 years. The sample consisted of 322 low-income, Mexican American mother-child dyads, 181 of whom completed the 7.5-year laboratory visit. Using maternal prenatal residence and U.S. census data, neighborhood concentrated disadvantage index was computed. Higher prenatal neighborhood concentrated disadvantage predicted higher 4.5-year adiposity in children, which, in turn, predicted higher adiposity, BP, and inflammation, and less healthy lipid profile (higher triglycerides, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) at 7.5 years. Higher child 4.5-year BP was concurrently associated with higher adiposity and predicted higher 7.5-year BP. Extending previous work with this sample, the current study found associations between cardiometabolic risk indicators as early as preschool among Mexican American children. Furthermore, this study builds on existing literature by expanding our understanding of the effect of prenatal neighborhood concentrated disadvantage on cardiometabolic phenotypes during early childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of BMI trajectories with cardiometabolic risk among low-income Mexican American children.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to identify distinct trajectories of BMI growth from 2 to 7.5 years and examine their associations with markers of cardiometabolic risk at age 7.5 years among a sample of low-income Mexican American children.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study recruited 322 mother–child dyads to participate prenatally and at child age 2, 3, 4.5, 6, and 7.5 years. Child height/weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were assessed at each time point. Blood was collected from child at 7.5 years.ResultsCovarying for birthweight, three BMI trajectories were identified: Low-Stable BMI (73% of the sample), High-Stable BMI (5.6% of the sample), and Increasing BMI over time (21.4% of the sample). The High-Stable and Increasing BMI classes had higher waist circumference and systolic blood pressure and lower HDL-c than the Low-Stable BMI class (ps < 0.05). Among children with BMIs below the 85th percentile, 16% had three or more cardiometabolic risk indicators.ConclusionsBMI classes were consistent with existing literature. For youth, standard medical practice is to examine cardiometabolic risk indicators when BMI is high; however, this practice would miss 16% of youth in our sample who exhibit cardiometabolic risk but do not screen in based on BMI.Impact Research indicates Mexican American youth are at risk for cardiometabolic dysregulation relative to other ethnic groups, yet there is a paucity of longitudinal research.An Increasing BMI and a High-Stable BMI class were associated with larger waist circumference, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower HDL cholesterol than the Low-Stable BMI class.BMI trajectories in childhood predict cardiometabolic risk indicators. As the sole screener for deciding when to test cardiometabolic indicators, BMI alone will miss some children exhibiting cardiometabolic dysregulation.

The influence of parenting on Mexican American children's self‐regulation

Parental practices and beliefs have been recognized as having an important influence on the development of children's self-regulation. Using a mixed methods approach, the present study explored how parental practices and beliefs influence low-income Mexican American children's (N = 44) self-regulation during the fall of preschool. Quantitative results indicated that the family learning environment and parental control were significantly related to stronger self-regulation in Mexican American children from low-income families. Qualitative interviews indicated that "respect" and "being well educated" emerged as key factors guiding parents' expectations of children's behaviors and discipline. Additionally, these results indicated that parents struggled to provide additional educational materials to enrich the home learning environment of their children. This study highlights the importance of understanding the parental practices and beliefs of low-income Mexican American parents and their influence on children's self-regulation to better serve the needs of Mexican American parents and their children.

Improving Quality of Food Frequency Questionnaire Response in Low-Income Mexican American Children

The authors evaluated the validity and reliability of the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ) and the Block Kid Screener (BKScreener) in Mexican American children living along the Texas-Mexico border who participated in the National Institutes of Health-funded Proyecto Bienestar Laredo. The Bienestar/NEEMA health program is a school-based diabetes and obesity control program, and the Proyecto Bienestar Laredo is the translation of the Bienestar/NEEMA health program to 38 elementary schools in Laredo, Texas. Par ticipants included 2,376 eight-year-old boys (48%) and girls (52%) from two school districts in Laredo. Two Food Frequency Questionnaire (BKFFQ and BKScreener) dietary intakes were collected, and an expert panel of nutritionist assigned a classification response quality of "Good," "Questionable," and "Poor," based on playfulness (systematic or nonrandom) patterns and completion rates. In addition, both instruments were assessed for reliability (test-retest) in 138 students from a San Antonio School District. Children's height, weight, percentage body fat, reported family history of diabetes, and Texas Assessments of Knowledge and Skills in reading and mathematics scores were collected. This study showed that for Mexican American children living along the Texas-Mexico border, within the time constraints of the classroom, BKScreener yielded better data than the BKFFQ.

Effect of the Bienestar Health Program on Physical Fitness in Low-Income Mexican American Children

Once considered an adult onset disease, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in low-income Mexican American children. Studies have suggested that most of those so diagnosed were overweight, reported low levels of physical activity, and were generally unaware of their disease. The Bienestar Health Programwas designed to reduce risk factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes. A major focus of the curriculum is health and physical education. A comparison of intervention and control group students resulted in a significant difference in physical fitness change scores (p &lt; .003) after an 8-month intervention. This study suggests that it is possible to improve the physical fitness of low-income Mexican American preadolescent children through a comprehensive school-based health program.

The Development of Health Knowledge in Low-Income Mexican-American Children

Children growing up in poverty are at risk for various health problems. For low-income, Mexican-American children, these risks include obesity, diabetes, and accidental injuries, 3 conditions that can largely be prevented by healthy life-styles. Despite the potential for prevention through education leading to health-promoting behaviors, very little is known about the development of health knowledge in this population. The present study examined low-income, Mexican-American children's understanding of the relation between health behavior and health status in 3 areas: nutrition, hygiene, and safety. 79 children (41 boys, 38 girls) ages 4 to 8 years participated. Children's knowledge was assessed in a structured play situation conducted in a laboratory setting. Results revealed that children knew the least about the relation between food consumption and their health, and knew the most about beneficial and harmful practices in the areas of safety and hygiene. Age and gender differences were also significant, with girls and older children more likely to provide elaborate and complex rationales for their responses. Implications of the findings for understanding the role of cognitive development and experience in the development of health knowledge are considered.

The Development of Health Knowledge in Low-Income Mexican-American Children

The Development of Health Knowledge in Low-Income Mexican-American Children

Anthropometric comparisons among low-income Mexican-American children aged 10 through 14

Triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements in 795 Mexican-American children, 10 through 14 years of age, were compared with corresponding data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The sign test of significant differences in distributions was used to test for differences between NCHS triceps and subscapular reference standards and those derived from the study sample. Among the boys, analysis of the data revealed statistically significant differences (p less than .01) in both measurements for all age levels. For the girls, significant differences (p less than .01) also existed in triceps measurements among the 10-year-olds and subscapular measurements at all age levels. The results indicated a high degree of body fatness among the population group studied.

Comparison of Three Intelligence Tests as Predictors of Academic Achievement and Classroom Behaviors of Mexican-American Children

The school performance of low-income Mexican-American children was predicted from scores on three intelligence tests. The Stanford-Binet (S-B) was given at 3 years, S-B and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) at 4 years, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) at 7-9 years. School grades, Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores, and the Classroom Behavior Inventory (CBI) comprised the school performance measures. Grades were predicted significantly by S-B, but there were no significant correlations for the other tests. All the intelligence tests had some significant correlations with some of the ITBS and CBI scores. The S-B and MSCA were about equal as preschool predictors of ITBS and CBI scores. The controversy over the value of the WISC-R in assessing minority-group children was discussed in view of the finding that WISC-R scores were significantly correlated with the ITBS but not with grades.

The Responses of Mexican American Children to Cognitive Demands in a Testing Situation

The question of which measures to use in the evaluation of early childhood education programs has become highly controversial. Most program evaluators have relied largely, often exclusively, on one of the standard measures of intelligence such as the Stanford-Binet or WPPSI. The present study incorporated observational procedures into an IQ testing situation in an attempt to include behavioral indices as outcome measures of an educational intervention program, the Houston Parent-Child Development Center. The sample for this study consisted of 40 low-income Mexican American children, ages 4 and 5, equally divided into program and control groups. Data were analyzed using MANOVA and discriminant function analysis. The findings indicated that given the testing situation, program children exhibited significantly more work and verbal responses and fewer substitutive responses than the controls. Although group differences in IQs were also statistically significant, test taking behaviors differentiated groups more accurately.