The causative factors that increase the risk of obesity in the first year of life differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic babies. The research published in the journal Pediatric Research investigated factors that increased obesity risk in Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic white children.
Childhood obesity is a growing health concern worldwide. In recent years instances have nearly tripled, with 17 per cent of young people in the US now classified as obese. Previous studies have revealed that Hispanic children are disproportionately affected. According to a recent study, 15.6 per cent of Hispanic children aged between two and five years are obese, compared to 5.2 per cent of non-Hispanic white children of the same age.
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health challenges in the developing countries and needs to be understood and tackled effectively.
Advertisement
‘Obesity during the first 12 months of life can predispose to increased body weight in later years. Health authorities should develop personalized guidelines to target different population groups, to prevent obesity.’
Tweet it Now
The rate at which babies gain weight in the first few months after birth is often linked to their chances of being obese for the rest of their lives. However not enough is known about which factors might lead babies to be overweight by their first birthday.
To investigate how these factors may differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white families, Hazrati, Khan and their colleagues analyzed data contained in the Inova study called "The First 1000 Days of Life and Beyond". Information was extracted from 1009 one-year-old children, 302 (30.0 per cent) of whom were Hispanic and 707 (70 per cent) were non-Hispanic white children. Genetic data was available for 543 of the 1009 children included in the study and there was a high agreement rate between ancestry genetic data and reported ethnicity. The researchers gathered information about babies and their parents, whether they were breastfed and how soon they were introduced to solid foods and fruit juices from survey data, questionnaires and medical records.
![Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity – Vigorous Physical Activity]( "Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity – Vigorous Physical Activity")
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
Three in every ten (30.1 per cent) of Hispanic babies were found to be overweight aged 12 months, compared to just over one in every ten (13.6 per cent) non-Hispanic white children.
"The rate of excess weight in the Hispanic population was strikingly higher in this cohort, even at the very young age of 12 months," states Hazrati.
Interestingly, higher father BMI and higher maternal weight gain during pregnancy was associated with excess weight in non-Hispanic white children but not in Hispanic children. On the other hand, lower maternal education was associated with excess weight in the Hispanic children.
Although various social and cultural factors were found to have varying influence on the families in the different ethnic groups, in combination these did not fully explain the marked differences in weight gain between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children. Hazrati suggests that these findings might point to an underlying genetic predisposition and epigenetic influences towards obesity in different ethnicities.
"As there are so many different factors influencing the development of obesity in young children, health authorities should consider developing personalized guidelines targeted to different populations in an effort to stem overall obesity in the US population," explains Khan.
Source: Eurekalert
Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity – Vigorous Physical Activity
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
Advertisement
Three in every ten (30.1 per cent) of Hispanic babies were found to be overweight aged 12 months, compared to just over one in every ten (13.6 per cent) non-Hispanic white children.
"The rate of excess weight in the Hispanic population was strikingly higher in this cohort, even at the very young age of 12 months," states Hazrati.
Interestingly, higher father BMI and higher maternal weight gain during pregnancy was associated with excess weight in non-Hispanic white children but not in Hispanic children. On the other hand, lower maternal education was associated with excess weight in the Hispanic children.
Although various social and cultural factors were found to have varying influence on the families in the different ethnic groups, in combination these did not fully explain the marked differences in weight gain between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children. Hazrati suggests that these findings might point to an underlying genetic predisposition and epigenetic influences towards obesity in different ethnicities.
"As there are so many different factors influencing the development of obesity in young children, health authorities should consider developing personalized guidelines targeted to different populations in an effort to stem overall obesity in the US population," explains Khan.
Source: Eurekalert
Fructose - The Toxic Sugar
Sugar in terms of caloric value is similar to starch, but in terms of metabolic effects, it is far different. It comes with a special payload.
Advertisement
 Obesity during Pregnancy: Know the RisksWomen with a body mass index >30 are obese and are at a higher risk for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Macrosomia and birth defects are risks seen in the babies. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Obesity News
Researchers examine the role of unknown protein NOTCH2-associated receptor2 (MINAR2) in obesity and diabetes using generated Minar2 knockout (KO) mice.
Study reports that body contouring after bariatric surgery does not contribute to long-term weight loss in patients with massive weight loss.
Recently FDA-approved drug semaglutide has proven as a highly effective anti-obesity medication showcasing remarkable weight loss benefits.
Gut bacteria profile and abundance in toddlers can serve as a predictive factor for their body mass index (BMI) at age 5, irrespective of premature birth status.
Obese individuals were found to have weaker appetite regulation, with factors that inhibit eating behavior.