RESUMO
PURPOSE: To distinguish the origins of higher weight status and determine when and why intra- and interracial/ethnic disparities emerge. DESIGN: The study used a longitudinal analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). SETTING: The study was conducted in the United States. SUBJECTS: Participants were children of non-Hispanic white mothers and children of U.S.- and foreign-born mothers of Mexican origin from a nationally representative sample of children born in the year 2001 (N ≈ 3700). MEASURES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts determined sex- and age-specific weight status. Covariates were obtained from birth certificate records and parent interviews. ANALYSIS: Frequencies, growth curve trajectories, and ordinary least squares regression examined body mass index (BMI) and obesity across survey waves. RESULTS: Compared to their peers with non-Hispanic white mothers, children of Mexican-heritage mothers have higher average BMI and greater rates of obesity. The BMI of boys with Mexican-born mothers is higher relative to whites and children of U.S.-born Mexican mothers across early childhood, increasing sharply at about age 4.5 years. This divergence is driven by increases in the BMI of boys, as girls do not show the same growth. A number of measures, including descriptors of children's nutritional intake, lifestyle factors, and acculturation, do not explain the increased obesity rates among sons of Mexican mothers. CONCLUSION: Despite favorable perinatal health and weight, Mexican-American sons of foreign-born mothers show disadvantages in BMI that emerge close to the start of kindergarten.
Assuntos
Índice de Massa Corporal , Emigrantes e Imigrantes/psicologia , Emigrantes e Imigrantes/estatística & dados numéricos , Americanos Mexicanos/psicologia , Obesidade/prevenção & controle , Obesidade/psicologia , População Branca/psicologia , Peso Corporal , Pré-Escolar , Humanos , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Americanos Mexicanos/estatística & dados numéricos , Estados Unidos , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
PURPOSE: To explore the association between food insecurity and dietary intake among Mexican-American women after controlling for sociocultural and economic factors including participation in federal food assistance programs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Three cities in Texas. SUBJECTS: Seven hundred seven Mexican-American women (26-44 years). MEASURES: Demographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, and food security status were obtained using validated measures. Dietary intake was assessed by a 24-hour dietary food record. ANALYSIS: Logistic regression was used to examine the association between individual and household characteristics on food security status. One-way analysis of covariance tested the association between food security status and dietary intake after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, acculturation, body mass index, participation in federal food assistance programs, and energy intake. RESULTS: About 77% of food-insecure women participated in at least one federal food assistance program. Each additional child in the household increased the odds of being food insecure by 25%. A higher proportion of obese women was found in the food-insecure group. No significant differences in dietary intake were found by food security status. CONCLUSION: Food insecurity did not negatively influence dietary intake independently of women's participation in federal food assistance programs. Food security did not ensure consumption of nutritionally adequate foods. Educational and food assistance programs need to be optimized to facilitate enrollment and improve the nutritional status of this ethnic group, food secure or not.