Maternal Food Insecurity, Child Feeding Practices, Weight Perceptions and BMI in a Rural, Mexican-origin Population
Author | : Christy Marguerite Gifford Solorio |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2013 |
ISBN-10 | : 1303154692 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781303154690 |
Rating | : 4/5 (92 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Among Mexican-American children, 35-40% are overweight. To achieve the Healthy People 2020 goal of reducing childhood obesity, interventions must be developed based on an understanding of the origins of childhood obesity. The goal of this study was to determine relationships between maternal food insecurity, child feeding practices and perceived child weight in a Mexican-origin population. Data were obtained through food security and medical history surveys along with anthropometric measurements of 175 Mexican-origin mother-child dyads living in rural, agricultural towns. No relationships were seen between food insecurity and other variables; however, only 31% of mothers of overweight children accurately identified them as such and only 47% of these mothers reported an attempt to change her child's nutrition or physical activity. This study exposed the need to determine factors involved in the identification of childhood obesity and in how mothers decide to change nutrition and physical activity for their children.