Weight Status In Girls Research Articles

A synthesis of early antecedents of eating behavior and weight status in girls: The legacy of girls’ NEEDS project

Dr. Leann Birch, an innovator in the field of children's eating behavior, was the first scientist to synergize the fields of developmental psychology and nutrition science. One of Leann's groundbreaking projects was the Girls' NEEDS Project (GNP), an NIH-funded observational study of the longitudinal development of eating and weight-related behaviors of girls across middle childhood and adolescence. At the time of GNP, obesity prevalence during childhood had roughly doubled during the previous two decades, research interest in dieting had increased as societal expectations of the ‘thin ideal’ got even thinner, and little was known about how environmental factors such as parenting influenced the development of maladaptive eating and weight-related behaviors. GNP resulted in over 70 publications, covering a range of topics from girls' dietary intake and physical activity to parental influences on girls' eating behavior, thus laying the groundwork for many topics in the obesity, food parenting, and dieting literature today. Therefore, this narrative review aims to summarize and synthesize the literature that resulted from the GNP and provide implications for future work building from this foundation.

The influence of socioeconomic status on menarcheal age among Chinese school-age girls in Tianjin, China.

The association between socioeconomic status and the onset age of menarche is still not conclusive. This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary and middle school girls aged 7 to 16years old in Tianjin, China, to explore the distribution of menarcheal age and its association with socioeconomic status. A self-designed structured questionnaire was completed by students and their parents to collect information on socioeconomic status (i.e., family income, parental education level, living residence), menarcheal status, and covariates (weight status of girls and their parents, sleeping hours per day, physical activity). Information on menarcheal status included whether or not menarche had occurred (Yes/No) and the exact age at menarche. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the association between socioeconomic status and menarcheal age before and after covariate adjustment. Among 1485 eligible girls with complete information, 445 had experienced menarche, with an overall menarche rate of 30%. The mean age at menarche was 12.9years (95% confidence interval 12.8-13.0). Urban girls experienced menarche earlier than rural girls did (12.1years vs. 13.5years). Univariate analysis showed that urban residence and higher parental education were associated with earlier onset of menarche. After covariate adjustment, the significance still existed. However, after adjusting further for residence, the significant association with the parental education disappeared. Only urban residence was still significantly associated, even after further adjustment for parental education and family income, with adjusted regression coefficients (95% confidence interval) of - 1.087 (- 1.340,-0.834), indicating that the onset age of menarche among urban girls was 1.087years (0.834, 1.340) younger than that among rural girls. Family income was not related to the onset age of menarche in any analyses.Conclusion: Urban-rural differences played a more important role in the early onset of menarche than socioeconomic differences between families. What is Known: • The age at menarche varies by race and country, but the global trend is towards earlier onset as a result of changes in nutrition, family structure, socioeconomic status, and physical condition. What is New: • Urban girls experienced menarche earlier than rural girls, but this urban-rural difference could not be explained by family income, parental education, weight status of the participants and their parents, participants' physical exercise and sleeping hours. • Higher parental education was associated with earlier onset of menarche, but this association disappeared after adjustment for living residence.

The environment contribution to gender differences in childhood obesity and organized sports engagement.

This study aims to analyze gender-specific associations between sports activity outside of school and obesity, observing to what extent the local built environment contributes to the patterns found. A total of 2253 children aged 6.0-11.0 years were assessed: 49.3% girls and 50.7% boys. Children's weight and height were measured, age and sex-specific BMI cut-off points were used to define normal vs overweight/obesity. Children's organized sports (OS) activity was assessed by questionnaire, and local facilities for children's engagement in OS were analyzed. Logistic regression models were computed, adjusted for confounding variables. Results showed greater overweight and obesity (25.1% vs 20.1%) and lower OS engagement (66.5% vs 73.8%) in girls as well as greater impact of OS engagement on weight status in girls (OR for having a normal weight = 1.434 in girls vs 1.043 in boys). Additionally, opportunities to engage in OS were scarce for girls. The gender gap in children's weight status and OS engagement might be enhanced by an environmental mismatch that undermines girls' opportunities to play sports. There should be more opportunities for girls to engage in their favorite sports as a means to tackle the obesity epidemic and to promote gender equality.

Factors associated with overweight in preschool-age children in southwestern France

Background:Pediatric overweight and obesity are becoming an epidemic worldwide, which indicates the need for formulating preventive programs and policies during a child’s early years.Objective:We identified factors associated with overweight in young children in southwestern France.Design:Children [n= 1780; x̄(±SD) age: 3.9 ± 0.4 y] were recruited in kindergarten. Medical information on the parents, grandparents, and child as well as the child’s 3-d dietary intake, participation in organized sports, and television-viewing habits were ascertained, and anthropometric measurements of the child were taken.Results:The prevalence of overweight was 9.1% when using body mass index ≥ 90th percentile of French reference curves as a cutoff. In a multivariate logistic regression, overweight at 4 y was associated with female sex, having an overweight mother, and having ≥1 diabetic grandparent; odds ratios (ORs; 95% CIs) for these variables were 1.9 (1.2, 3.0), 2.2 (1.0, 4.7), and 2.6 (1.6, 4.1), respectively. Being small or large for gestational age was not associated with the risk of overweight at 4 y, whereas this risk was increased for children who were overweight at 9 or 24 mo: ORs (95% CIs) were 4.0 (2.4, 6.9) and 11.7 (6.1, 22.2), respectively. Nutrient intakes did not differ significantly with weight status in girls; however, overweight boys had significantly greater energy and lipid intakes than did their nonoverweight counterparts. Overweight was positively associated with television viewing (>1 h/d) in both sexes and with participation in organized sports in girls only.Conclusions:A family history of overweight or diabetes, overweight in the first 2 y of life, and television viewing are associated with overweight at 4 y. These factors should be considered in developing programs for the prevention of overweight in early childhood.

Girls’ Dairy Intake, Energy Intake, and Weight Status

We explored the relationships among girls’ weight status, dairy servings, and total energy intake. The hypothesis that consuming dairy could reduce risk for overweight was evaluated by comparing energy intake and weight status of girls who met or consumed less than the recommended three servings of dairy per day. Participants included 172 11-year-old non-Hispanic white girls, assessed cross-sectionally. Intakes of dairy, calcium, and energy were measured using three 24-hour recalls. Body mass index and body fat measures from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were obtained. Because preliminary analyses suggested systematic underreporting of energy intake, the relationships among dairy servings and measures of weight status were examined for the total sample and for subsamples of under-, plausible, and overreporters. Data for the total sample provided support for the hypothesized relationship among weight status, dairy servings, and energy intake. Thirty-nine percent of girls reported consuming the recommended ≥3 servings of dairy per day; these girls also reported higher energy intake but had lower body mass index z scores and body fat than the girls who consumed fewer than three dairy servings each day. Among plausible reporters, no relationship between dairy intake and weight status was noted. This discrepancy may be attributable to a high percentage (45%) of overweight underreporters in the total sample. Our findings reveal that reporting bias, resulting from the presence of a substantial proportion of underreporters of higher weight status, can contribute to obtaining spurious associations between dairy intake and weight status. These findings underscore the need for randomly controlled trials to assess the role of dairy in weight management.

Influence of Parents’ Eating Behaviors and Child Feeding Practices on Children's Weight Status

To investigate the effects of mothers' and fathers' eating behaviors, child feeding practices, and BMI on percentage body fat and BMI in their children. Four hundred fifty-eight parents (239 mothers, 219 fathers) were asked to complete two questionnaires: the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire and the Child Feeding Questionnaire, which measure dimensions of parent eating behavior and child feeding practices, respectively. Parent BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight; children's measures included BMI and percentage fat assessed by DXA. Regression analyses were used to analyze relationships between parents' BMI and questionnaire scores and children's weight status. One hundred forty-three mothers and 68 fathers returned questionnaires, representing parents of 148 children 3 to 5 years old (78 boys). Children's weight was related to mothers' BMI, but not fathers'. Girls had a greater BMI if either parent reported being overweight as a child, and both girls and boys were likely to be overweight if their mothers believed they had risky eating habits (fussiness, eating too much, etc.). Girls with fathers who were more controlling had a higher percentage fat; these fathers were also more concerned about their daughters' future health. Mothers exert a strong influence over their children's weight and seem to be more concerned about their children's eating behaviors; however, fathers play a role in imposing child feeding practices. Gender bias may be present in child feeding, as suggested by dissimilar effects of parent practices on the weight status of girls vs. boys. Fathers should be included in future studies analyzing parent feeding practices and children's weight outcome.

Overweight in 4 year old children in South Western France: prevalence and associated factors

We evaluated the prevalence of overweight and identified associated factors in a representative sample of preschool children in Haute-Garonne department of France (n=1780; age: 3.9±0.4 y). The prevalence of overweight was 9.1% (> 90th percentile of the French reference curves for BMI). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, overweight at 4 years was associated with female gender, and having overweight mother or diabetic grand-parent(s); odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were 1.9 (1.2-3.0), 2.2 (1.1–4.7), 2.6 (1.6–4.1), respectively. Nutrient intakes did not differ with weight status in girls; however, overweight boys had significantly greater energy intake than non-overweight counterparts. Furthermore television viewing (>1 hr/ day) was significantly associated with risk of overweight (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.6–5.4). Using retrospective anthropometric data from official medical records, maintained for each child at birth, 9 and 24 mo, risk of overweight at 4 y was greater in children who were overweight as early as 9 or 24 mo of age; OR and 95% CI were 4.1 (2.4–7.1) and 12.1 (6.3–23.2), respectively. These results support that overweight in the first 2 years of life, family history of overweight or diabetes, and television viewing are associated with increased risk of being overweight at 4 years. Supported by French Social Security and Ministry of Health.