Abstract
Aim
To compare the means of body mass index (BMI) and the prevalences of overweight and obesity between native Dutch and migrant primary school children and to assess to what degree differences between these children could be explained by socioeconomic position and BMI of the mother and the father.
Subjects and methods
A cross-sectional survey was performed among children at the age of 8–9 years old. Subjects were a total of 1,943 children and their primary caregiver. Outcome measures were BMIs and the prevalence of overweight, including obesity. Main independent variables were migrant background, based on country of birth of the parents, socioeconomic status, as indicated by educational level, and parental BMI. Other independent variables were the age and sex of the child.
Results
Overall, our findings show that overweight and obesity are significantly more prevalent among migrant children of non-Western descent as compared to native children and children of Western descent.
Conclusion
Parental BMI is an important predictor of a child’s BMI. However, socioeconomic position is not. Because children of non-Western migrant origin are at higher risk for overweight and obesity, insight into differences in both physical activity and energy intake as well as how these behaviors relate to cultural contrasts in parental beliefs and practices is needed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was made possible by a grant from The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (115100004) and financial support from the Institute of Health Policy and Management, a department of the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
We thank our research assistants who collected the necessary data. Also, we express our appreciation to the IVO Addiction Research Institute, who initiated the INPACT study. Finally, we are particularly grateful to all the children and parents who took part in this study.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Labree, L.J.W.(., van de Mheen, H.(., Rutten, F.F.H.(. et al. Overweight and obesity in primary school: native children versus migrant children. J Public Health 22, 415–421 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-014-0637-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-014-0637-4