Parental Weight Status Research Articles

A longitudinal study of perceived stress, tangible social support, and gender on Mexican American parental feeding practices.

This study examined the association between perceived stress and perceived tangible social support on parental feeding practices in a sample of Mexican American parents of young children. Tangible social support was examined as a potential moderator of perceived stress on parental feeding. Results by parent gender were also examined. A secondary analysis of data from a 2-year, longitudinal cohort study of parental feeding practices and child weight status was used. The sample consisted of (N = 495) Mexican American parents. Random effects models that accounted for the interdependence of couples were used to test hypotheses. Perceived stress was negatively associated with positive involvement, b = -0.07, SE = 0.03, 95% confidence interval [-0.12, -0.02], in both parent genders. Parent gender moderated the association between tangible social support and pressure to eat, F(1, 886) = 3.94, p = .048, with fathers reporting less pressure to eat behavior than mothers at high levels of support. Parent gender moderated the interaction between tangible social support and perceived stress on pressure to eat, F(1, 851) = 8.02, p = .005, such that for low-stress mothers, going from low to high tangible social support was associated with an increase in pressure to eat behavior. Also, for fathers with low tangible social support at baseline, going from low to high stress was associated with a decrease in pressure to eat. Perceived stress among Mexican American parents serves as a barrier to healthful feeding practices. However, both cultural and structural forces may influence pressure to eat behavior in this population. Implications for childhood health are examined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Prevalence of overweight/obesity, and associated factors among adolescents aged 12 ∼ 15 in Shandong Province, China: A cross-sectional study

Overweight/obesity among adolescents in Shandong Province, China, has been rising, posing significant public health challenge. Comprehensive investigation is needed to develop effective interventions. Following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, a stratified random cluster sampling approach was used from September to October 2023 across 17 cities in Shandong Province. The study included 165 middle schools, surveying 99,638 students aged 12 ∼ 15. After applying exclusion criteria, 97,356 students (97.71% effective rate) completed anthropometric measurements and questionnaires. Overweight/obesity were assessed based on national and international standards. Univariable chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze factors influencing overweight/obesity. In 2023, the overweight/obesity rate among 12 ∼ 15-year-olds in Shandong was 19.75%. Significant factors included sex, age, residence, family income, parental weight status and activity, mother’s gestational diabetes history, birth weight, physical activity, sleep, screen time, homework, and diet. Girls, older adolescents, and those with physically active parents or who themselves engaged in over 1.5 hours of daily physical activity had lower odds of being overweight/obese. Adequate sleep and frequent consumption of vegetable and fruit were also protective. Higher odds were associated with urban residence, high family income, overweight/obese parents, maternal gestational diabetes, high birth weight, excessive screen time, extensive homework, and frequent fast food consumption. Overweight/obesity in Shandong adolescents is influenced by multiple determinants. Holistic interventions addressing genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors are essential for promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing the prevalence in this demographic.

A cross-sectional study on the dietary patterns of multiethnic Malaysian preschoolers and their sociodemographic determinants.

Early childhood is a critical developmental stage where established dietary patterns can impact lifelong health outcomes. This study investigates dietary patterns and their relationships with sociodemographic factors among Malaysian preschoolers. A total of 643 preschoolers of Malay, Indian, Chinese and other ethnicities participating in South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS II) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a single triple-pass 24-h dietary recall method. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis and their association with sociodemographic factors was determined using complex sampling logistic regressions. Five dietary patterns were identified: "healthy eating," "wholegrains and starchy vegetables," "high salt and sugar," "Western food," and "sugary drinks and legumes". Having older siblings was inversely associated with a "healthy eating" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33-0.87). Malay ethnicity was associated with higher odds of adhering to the "high salt and sugar" pattern (adjusted OR: 4.12, 95% CI: 2.20-7.75). Meanwhile, children living in urban areas (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.03-3.01), those from middle-income families (adjusted OR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.38-7.40) and whose fathers were overweight (adjusted OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.58-4.94) showed a higher association with "Western food" pattern. Conversely, children whose mothers had overweight were less likely to adhere to the "Western food" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-0.83). Older age was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of the "sugary drinks and legumes" pattern (adjusted OR: 3.99, 95% CI: 1.75-9.06). There was no significant association between "wholegrains and starchy vegetables" pattern with sociodemographic characteristics (all p > 0.05). These findings suggest that ethnicity, age, residence area, having older siblings, parental weight status and household income level are associated with dietary patterns among multiethnic preschoolers in Malaysia. Thus, these sociodemographic characteristics should be considered when designing targeted dietary strategies and interventions for preschoolers.

Are We Closer to Regional Consensus on Promoting Food Literacy and Integrating Nutrition Education in Arabic Schools?

Food literacy is achieving attention worldwide and gaining traction in Arab countries. Strengthening food and nutrition literacy among Arab teenagers are important promising and empowering tools, which can protect them from malnutrition. This study aims to evaluate the nutrition literacy status of adolescents along with that of their parents in 10 Arab countries. This cross-sectional study involving a convenient sample of 5401 adolescent-parent dyads was launched between 29 April and 6 June 2022 in 10 Arab nations. The Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale (ANLS) and the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ) were used to meet the study aims. More than one-quarter (28%) of adolescents had poor nutrition literacy, with 60% of their parents being food illiterate. The top three countries with nutritionally less literate adolescents were Qatar (44%), Lebanon (37.4%), and Saudi Arabia (34.9%). Adolescents’ age, gender, education level, primary caregivers, employment status, and the inclusion of nutrition education in the schools’ curriculum predicted the nutrition literacy levels of Arab adolescents. Besides, parental weight status, health status, parent’s food literacy level, and the number of children per household were significant determinants too. Nutrition literacy inadequacy among Arab adolescents is a prioritized challenge to be tackled to achieve the sustainable developmental goals (SDGs) mainly SDG2 and SDG4.

Editorial

Editorial

Development and Validation of the Parental Food Choice Guilt Scale

Abstract: Guilt is an important correlate of the food choices parents make for their children. However, without a validated self-report measure of feeding-related guilt, researchers remain unable to reliably assess its consequences for parents and children. This study developed and validated the Parental Food Choice Guilt (PFCG) Scale. Items were iteratively developed based on feedback from parents and content experts and refined through three preliminary rounds of data collection. The final 7-item PFCG was evaluated using an Internet-based sample of 294 parents (194 mothers, 99 fathers) of children aged 3–13. Participants responded to the PFCG alongside measures of child eating habits, parent feeding behavior, and guilt-proneness. Exploratory factor analysis indicated the unidimensionality of the underlying construct. A Graded Response Model indicated all items functioned well psychometrically. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α = .90). Differential item functioning was not detected by parent gender, parent or child weight status, or parent education. The PFCG was positively correlated with global guilt, parenting-related guilt, and poorer child eating habits, and negatively correlated with feeding self-efficacy and healthfulness of the child’s diet. The PFCG is a reliable and valid measure that will aid researchers across many applications, including clarifying guilt’s role in child feeding.

Family characteristics in adolescents with overweight or obesity: a network analysis.

Rates of overweight and obesity continue to grow in adolescents. Overweight and obesity in adolescence are associated with numerous immediate and long-term adverse health conditions. Throughout adolescence, parents and the family have an important and central influence on adolescents' health and lifestyle. The home environment may be a major factor in shaping children's weight. However, our current understanding of the interplay between family-related variables in adolescents with overweight or obesity is limited and fragmented. This study aimed to assess the relationship between family-related variables in adolescents who are overweight or obese using network analysis and inform future health promotion for family-based intervention. Participants (n = 488) were recruited from middle schools in Nanjing from October 2022 to March 2023. Participants, together with their parents, completed a questionnaire at school about the family food environment, family size, family APGAR index, family physical activity facilities, parental mental health, rearing behavior, parental weight status, drinking history, marital satisfaction, and sociodemographic characteristics. The network split into three distinct communities of items. Network analysis showed that parental mental health and paternal rearing styles-rejection were the most central nodes in the network. In contrast, maternal weight status was the most peripheral and least connected nodes. Family-related variables constituted a connected network in adolescents with overweight or obesity. The pattern of network node connections supports that interventions could prioritize targeting changing parental mental health and paternal rearing styles in adolescents with overweight or obesity.

Status and correlates of food and nutrition literacy among parents-adolescents' dyads: findings from 10 Arab countries.

Food literacy is capturing the attention worldwide and gaining traction in the Arab countries. Strengthening food and nutrition literacy among Arab teenagers are important promising empowering tools which can protect them from malnutrition. This study aims to assess the nutrition literacy status of adolescents with the food literacy of their parents in 10 Arab countries. This cross-sectional study involving a convenient sample of 5,401 adolescent-parent dyads (adolescents: mean age ± SD: 15.9 ± 3.0, females: 46.8%; parents: mean age ± SD: 45.0 ± 9.1, mothers: 67.8%) was launched between 29 April and 6 June 2022 in 10 Arab nations. The Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale (ANLS) and the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ) were used to meet the study aims. More than one-quarter (28%) of adolescents had poor nutrition literacy, with 60% of their parents being food illiterate. The top three countries with nutritionally" less literate" adolescents were Qatar (44%), Lebanon (37.4%), and Saudi Arabia (34.9%). Adolescents' age, gender, education level, primary caregivers, employment status, and the inclusion of nutrition education in the schools' curriculum predicted the nutrition literacy levels of Arab adolescents. Besides, parental weight status, health status, parent's food literacy level, and the number of children per household were significant determinants too. Adolescents studying at a university and having parents with adequate food literacy had the highest odds of being nutritionally literate (OR = 4.5, CI = 1.8-11.5, p = 0.001, OR = 1.8, CI = 1.6-2.1, p < 0.001, respectively). Nutrition literacy inadequacy among Arab adolescents is a prioritized challenge to be tackled.

Children with lower ratings of executive functions have a greater response to the portion size effect

Deficits in executive functions (EFs), a set of cognitive processes related to self-regulation, are associated with the development of obesity. Prior studies from our group showed that lower food-cue related activation in brain regions implicated in self-regulation was related to a larger portion size effect. We tested the hypothesis that lower EFs in children would be positively related to the portion size effect. Healthy weight children aged 7–8 y (n = 88), who varied by maternal obesity status, participated in a prospective study. At baseline, the parent primarily in charge of feeding completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF2) to assess child EFs, including Behavioral (BRI), Emotional (ERI), and Cognitive (CRI) indices. At 4 baseline sessions, children consumed meals in which the portion sizes of foods (pasta, chicken nuggets, broccoli, and grapes) varied by visit (total meal weight of 769, 1011, 1256, or 1492g). Intake increased with increasing portions in a linear trajectory (p < 0.001). EFs moderated the portion size effect such that lower BRI (p = 0.003) and ERI (p = 0.006) were associated with steeper increases in intake as portions increased. As amount of food increased, children in the lowest functioning tertiles for BRI and ERI increased intake by 35% and 36%, respectively, compared to children in the higher tertiles. Increases in intake among children with lower EFs were for higher- but not lower-energy-dense foods. Thus, in healthy weight children who varied by obesity risk, lower parentally reported EFs were associated with a larger portion size effect, and these results were independent of child and parent weight status. Therefore, EFs may be target behaviors that could be strengthened to help children moderate excess intake in response to large portions of energy-dense foods.

Parental Misperceptions of Their Offspring's Weight and Their Strategies for Child's Eating Behavior: A Narrative Review of the Recent Evidence.

The aim of the present review was to explore the effect of parental misperceptions of their offspring’s weight status during childhood and early adolescence on weight control strategies and children’s eating behavior. Literature searching was limited to the PubMed database and to the English language from January 2000 to August 2022. Eligible studies had clearly associated parental misperception of offspring’s weight with child eating habits or weight management and eating strategies in childhood to early adolescence. Sixteen studies (14 cross-sectional, 1 longitudinal and 1 with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses) were included in the analysis. Weight loss attempts and child’s eating behavior were the main outcomes. Sixteen studies found significant associations. Parental misperceptions of their offspring’s weight status do influence their child’s weight and eating behavior, especially in overweight children. Parents tend to follow potentially harmful methods when they overestimate their children’s weight (food restriction) and when they underestimate their children’s weight (pressure to eat). However, additional longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the impact of parental weight status perception on health behaviors and children’s weight gain over time. The potential need for preventive intervention studies is warranted.

Temporal trends in cardiovascular health among Chinese urban children and adolescents, 2004-2019 pre-pandemic COVID-19.

ObjectiveLittle is known about pre-pandemic cardiovascular health (CVH) status and its temporal variation in Chinese children. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the secular trends and associated factors of CVH in Chinese urban children from 2004 to 2019.MethodsWe identified 32,586 individuals in Beijing, aged 6 to 18 years, from three independent cross-sectional studies conducted in 2004, 2014, and 2019, respectively. CVH was assessed by 7 metrics according to modified American Heart Association criteria, including smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and the ideal CVH status.ResultsThe proportion of ideal CVH decreased from 27.7% (boys 26.6%, girls 28.9%) in 2004 to 4.2% (boys 3.8%, girls 4.8%) in 2014, and then increased to 16.2% (boys 13.5%, girls 18.9%) in 2019. Overall, ideal smoking was the most prevalent CVH component during 2004–2019 (2004, 97.5%; 2014, 92.9%; 2019, 98.0%), while ideal physical activity (2004, 27.6%; 2014, 14.4%; 2019, 28.0%) and dietary intake (2004, 26.0%; 2014, 10.7%; 2019, 23.5%) were the least prevalent components. Notably, the proportion of ideal body mass index (2004, 77.5%; 2019, 59.7%) and blood pressure (2004, 73.6%; 2019, 67.3%) continuously decreased from 2004 to 2019. Girls, parental normal weight status, free of family CVD history, and lower levels in fat mass were associated with higher odds of ideal CVH.ConclusionThe cardiovascular health in Chinese urban children deteriorated during 2004–2019. Distinct strategies are required to mitigate socioeconomic inequity in the intervention of CVH promotion.

A 3-Year Longitudinal Study of Effects of Parental Feeding Practices on Child Weight Status: The Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-Cities.

This study examined the longitudinal associations between parental feeding practices and child weight status, and their potential modification effects by child sex, age, and maternal and paternal educations among children. Data were collected from 2015 to 2017 of 2139 children aged 6–17 years and their parents in five Chinese mega-cities. Parental feeding practices were assessed using 11-items from Child Feeding Questionnaire. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body mass index (BMI), and general and central obesity were measured and analyzed using a mixed-effects model. Three parental feeding patterns were identified by factor analysis including “concern”, “pressure to eat”, and “control”. Concern was associated with higher BMI z-score, WHtR (βs ranged from 0.01 to 0.16), and general obesity (ORs ranged from 1.29 to 6.41) among children aged ≤12 years and >12 years, regardless of child sex and parental educations. Pressure to eat was associated with lower BMI z-score (β = −0.08, p < 0.001), WHtR (β = −0.004, p < 0.01), and general (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.42, 0.66) and central obesity (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.58, 0.90) among children aged ≤12 years. Further analyses showed that significant associations were found for children with maternal or paternal education of college and above. Control was associated with increased risk of general and central obesity among children with maternal education of college and above, regardless of age. Our study indicates that higher concern and lower pressure to eat were associated with increased risk of obesity among children. Control was associated with increased risk of obesity among children with maternal education of college and above. Future childhood obesity preventions may optimize parental feeding practices.

Weight Stigma by Association Among Parents of Children With Obesity: A Randomized Trial.

To experimentally test weight stigma and weight stigma by association in a parent-child relationship using a large, community-based sample. We conducted a randomized experiment on Amazon Mechanical Turk using an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to view a picture of a parent-child dyad, for which the parent and child's gender (male vs. female) and weight status (with obesity vs. without obesity) were manipulated. Participants read identical parenting descriptions that adhered to the American Academy of Pediatrics' parenting recommendations, then rated the parent's perceived effectiveness, helpfulness, and level of caring using a parenting questionnaire based on Barnhart etal (2013). Participants (N=1862; Mage=36.8 [11.2] years) rated parents of children with obesity as less effective compared to parents of children without obesity (P=.010) and parents with obesity as less effective compared to parents without obesity (P=.033). Participants also rated parents with obesity as less helpful compared to parents without obesity (P=.021). No differences emerged in perceived caring. Parenting evaluations did not differ across daughters versus sons or mothers versus fathers. Parents of children with obesity may experience weight stigma by association, which could have direct consequences for the parents, the children, and the parent-child relationship.

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity by Country, Family Socio-Demographics, and Parental Obesity in Europe: The Feel4Diabetes Study.

The Feel4Diabetes study recruited 12,193 children (age: 8.20 ±1.01 years) and their parents from six European countries as part of the broader attempt to prevent type 2 diabetes. The current work collected data pre-intervention to identify the prevalence of childhood obesity by country and describe its association with socio-demographic characteristics and parental obesity status. One in four children were overweight or obese, and one in four families had at least one obese parent. Multivariate logistic regression examined the associations between childhood obesity, family socio-demographics, and parental obesity status. Children had a higher chance of being overweight or obese if they were living in “low income” countries (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.62, 2.74) and countries “under economic crisis” (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.89, 3.24) compared to “high-income” countries; if their fathers completed fewer than nine years of education (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.54, 3.05) compared to children whose fathers had a higher level (>14 years) of education; and if one (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.62) or both of their parents (OR: 6.83, 95% CI: 5.15, 9.05) were obese. Future childhood obesity prevention-programs should target the whole family while taking into consideration the socioeconomic and weight status of parents. Future research should examine these associations in more countries and in socio-demographically diverse populations in order to facilitate the generalisability of the present study’s findings.

Physical activity in early childhood: a five-year longitudinal analysis of patterns and correlates

BackgroundKnowledge on longitudinal patterns and related factors of young children’s physical activity (PA) is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine patterns and changes of accelerometer-measured PA over time in two to six-year-old children. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate if parental PA, socioeconomic status, sex, weight status, and motor skills are related to child PA over time, using prospective cohort data from a clustered randomized controlled trial.MethodsOne hundred and six children (52% girls) and their parents had PA measured yearly from age two to six with an Actigraph GT3X. The actigraph was worn on the non-dominant wrist for one week; anthropometric data and motor skills, as well as background information, was collected simultaneously. The outcome was counts per minute from the vector magnitude, and linear mixed-effect models were used to answer the research questions.ResultsAmong the children, accelerometer-measured PA increased on average by 11% per year from two years of age (mean 3170 cpm (3007-3334 95% CI)) onwards to six years of age (mean 4369 cpm (4207-4533 95% CI)). From three years of age, children were more active on weekdays than on weekend days. The rate of difference varied across low, medium, and highly active children (based on tertiles). No significant differences in weekdays/weekend PA among the lowest active children was found. Despite this, they were still significantly less active on weekend days than the most active children. Maternal, but not paternal PA was found to be significantly positively related to child PA over time, with a medium to large effect size. But no significant relationships were found between child PA and sex, weight status, or socioeconomic status.ConclusionsPA increased on average with 11% per year, similarly for boys and girls. From three years of age children were more active during weekdays than weekend days. These results indicate that child PA benefits from active stimulation by parents and care takers already from early ages. It is important to identify attributes of possible intervention designs for weekend days for families with young children as well as characterize the least active children.Trial registrationEarly STOPP was prospectively registered in the clinical trials registry: clinicaltrials.gov, ID NCT01198847

Association Between the Parental Weight Status and the Weight Loss Outcome in Patients After Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease. Parents with obesity could have an impact on the weight loss outcome of their children following bariatric-metabolic surgery. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between the weight status of the parents and the weight loss outcome in patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Patients undergoing SG with ≥ 3years of follow-up between January 2016 and June 2018 were included in this study. The patients were categorized into three groups: (1) both parents did not have obesity (non-obesity parents, NOP); (2) one parent had obesity (single-parent obesity, SPO); (3) both parents had obesity (both parents' obesity, BPO). The main parameters for this study were the patients' preoperative and postoperative weight and the weight of the parents. A total of 218 SG patients were included in this study (NOP, n = 116; SPO, n = 64; BPO, n = 38). There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative assessments. The main results for the NOP vs. SPO vs. BPO were as follows; parents' body mass index (BMI) 23.6 ± 2.5 vs. 27.9 ± 5.0 vs. 30.2 ± 3.3kg/m2, percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) 30.2 ± 9.0 vs. 30.8 ± 10.4 vs. 23.8 ± 10.9%. The %TWL for the BPO group was significantly lower than the NOP and SPO groups (p < 0.05). The patient's weight loss outcome was significantly lower when both parents had obesity. Further controlled or prospective studies are needed to determine the best means to improve weight loss outcomes in such patients.

A Comparative Analysis of Rural versus Urban Preschool Children's Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Body Mass Index and Parent's Weight Status.

BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity continues to be a major public health concern, especially in minority, low-income, and rural populations. In order to develop health promotion interventions aimed at reducing obesity rates, there is a need to identify which populations have the highest rates of obesity and the risk factors associated with these high rates.MethodsData collected from low-income, preschool children and their parents in an urban community and a rural community in Alabama were analyzed and compared. Body Mass Index (BMI) was collected during school based health screenings, and information regarding parent's BMI and child's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were collected by parent report.ResultsOf the 363 children screened, 12.8% (15.2% rural and 11.9% urban) were considered overweight, and 15.8% (20.2% rural and 14.2% urban) of the sample was classified as obese. Rates of overweight and obesity for mothers were 27.6% (25.3% rural and 28.4% urban) and 48% (56.3% rural and 44.8% urban) respectively and 39.6% (53.3% rural and 34.4% urban) and 34.6% (28.3% rural and 36.9% urban) for fathers. Parents reported their child consumed 3.82 SSBs per day. Overall, mother's BMI, father's BMI and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was positively associated with child's BMI. However, there were no significant interactions between the rural and urban groups.ConclusionRates of overweight and obesity remain high in low-income, predominantly minority preschool children and their parents in two communities in Alabama. Consumption of SSBs, mother's BMI, and father's BMI are three factors impacting the weight status of low-income preschool children. These factors are significant in both rural and urban children.

The Association Between Single-Child Status and Risk of Abdominal Obesity: Result From a Cross-Sectional Study of China.

Background: Obesity has become a serious problem threatening the health of children and adolescents, and China's one-child policy has affected family structure and parenting practice, which may result in several adverse health outcomes. The present study aims to investigate the association between single-child status and the risk of abdominal obesity in Chinese adolescents and also to compare the differences in the risk of unideal energy-related behaviors.Methods: Data were obtained from a school-based cross-sectional survey conducted in seven provinces of China, in 2012. A total of 31,291 students aged 7–17 years were recruited in this study. Anthropometric measurements were conducted to assess height and waist circumference, and questionnaires were used to obtain information of single-child status, parental educational attainment, parental weight status, and offspring energy-related behaviors. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of single-child status and odds of childhood abdominal obesity and energy-related behaviors.Results: The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 18.2% in single children, which was higher than that of non-single children (13.7%). The prevalence was also higher in single children in different sex and residence subgroups. Logistic regression models showed that single children had 1.33 times (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.24–1.43, P < 0.001) higher odds of abdominal obesity compared to non-single children. Single children had 1.08 times higher odds of physical inactivity (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03–1.14, P = 0.004), 1.13 times higher odds of excessive sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05–1.23, P = 0.002), and 1.08 times more likely to eat out (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02–1.13, P = 0.006). Those associations were more remarkable in single girls.Conclusion: Being a single child may be associated with a higher odds of childhood abdominal obesity and unhealthy energy-related behaviors. Future interventions and strategies to prevent abdominal obesity should focus on this high-risk population.

Social and Behavioral Factors Associated with BMI and Waist Circumference among Adolescents: The Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study.

African American children and adolescents make up a disproportionately large segment of those classified as overweight and obese. The purpose of this study was to examine social and behavioral factors associated with accelerated accumulation of weight and adiposity among this group. The data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study - an offspring cohort study comprising 12- to 19-year-old descendants of Jackson Heart Study participants (N=212). Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were the outcomes of interest. Daily hassles, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, television watching, parent/grandparent weight status and participant birth weight, age and sex were the independent variables included in the analyses. Males and females were equally represented in the study and the mean BMI and waist circumference for adolescents in the study was 25.81±7.78 kg/m2 and 83.91 ± 19.81 cm, respectively. Fully adjusted linear regression models for the total sample produced results indicating that age, television viewing, weight control, and parental weight status were positively associated with BMI and waist circumference, respectively. Findings from sex-stratified models for BMI and waist circumference indicated that the significance of coefficients for age, television viewing, and parent/grandparent weight status varied by sex. Knowledge is limited about how sex or gender interact with social and behavioral factors to influence African Americans' health and additional studies are needed to specify how these factors interact to accelerate weight gain and adipose tissue accumulation over the life course.

P113 Parental Correlates of Preschoolers’ Physical Activity

<h3>Background</h3> In combination with healthy eating, physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle that can help prevent a range of chronic diseases among children. As role models and gatekeepers, parents can influence children's eating and physical activity behaviors through healthy practices, helping and teaching children to make healthy choices for themselves that will last a lifetime. <h3>Objective</h3> To investigate the associations between demographic characteristics, parental feeding practices, and child physical activity in preschool-age children. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> Participants of this cross-sectional study included parents (n = 273) of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from early childhood education centers (n = 24). <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Independent variables (IVs) included parent and child demographics, parent weight status, feeding practices, parent role modeling, home meal preparation, and child fruit and vegetable consumption. Binary dependent variables (DVs) included participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and participation in physical activity for more than 60 minutes a day (TPA). Logistic regression models determined associations between IVs and DVs. <h3>Results</h3> The participant's married status (OR = 3.625, CI=3.609-3.641), child weight (OR = 2.920, CI=2.905-2.935), and less spousal meal preparation (OR = 0.450, CI=0.448-0.451) were associated with MVPA. On the other hand, lower parent weight (OR = 0.366, CI=0.364-0.368), less food restriction (OR = 0.509, CI=0.508-0.511), and more food monitoring (OR = 1.618, CI=1.615-1.622) were associated with TPA. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Overall, the results suggest that parent characteristics and feeding practices are associated with child physical activity. Addressing this interconnectedness between eating and physical activity will allow families and providers to better understand how to promote healthy behaviors in children.