Child Body Fat and Body Mass Index: Which Determinants are Most Important?

Marilyn Frenn*, Astrida Kaugars, Juanita Garcia, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine child and parent determinants of children’s body fat percentage (BF%) along with their body mass index percentile (BMIp). Children’s BF% and BMIp auger lifelong health risks when elevated, and one in five children are affected. Participants (N = 135) included 62% female children; 50.7% Caucasian, 31.7% Hispanic, and 8.5% African American. Children were aged 9–15 years (2% underweight, 47.9% normal weight, 19.7% overweight, and 24.6% obese). Parent BMI average was 30.67 (1.4% underweight, 20.4% normal weight, 23.9% overweight, 40% obese, and 7% extreme obesity); 77.5% of the participating parents were mothers. Following multiple imputations, path analyses were conducted of child and parent determinants of children’s BF% and BMIp. Children’s BF% and BMIp were related to parents’ concern about overweight and children’s perception of that concern. For children of overweight or obese parents, who are at highest risk for obesity, assessing the parents’ concern is the highest priority.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)593-602
Number of pages10
JournalWestern Journal of Nursing Research
Volume42
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • child body fat percentage
  • child body mass percentile
  • parent concern

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