Predicting Weight Gain in Hispanic Children

The increase in childhood obesity in the United States involves genetics as well as an environment which encourages excess food intake and a sedentary lifestyle. Risk factors for the development of childhood overweight in non-Hispanics include:

• Overweight parents
• Social factors
• Birth weight
• Timing of sexual maturity
• Physical activity
• Dietary intake

Although Hispanic youth in the US have some of the greatest rates of overweight, risk factors that lead to overweight in Hispanic youth have not been identified. Dr. Nancy Butte and her colleagues at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center have followed over 850 Hispanic children for one year to determine their risk factors for weight gain.

Their results show that weight gain increased with age and was higher in overweight than nonoverweight children and in boys than in girls. Weight gain peaked at about 10 years for girls and at 11 years for boys. Other factors that were positively associated with weight gain were the mother’s body mass index (BMI), some biochemical measures, and the amount of sedentary activity. For the Hispanic youth, infant feeding practices (breast-fed vs. formula-fed), family income, energy density, fiber, fat or protein in the diet, the amount of moderate-vigorous activity, or the amount of sleep were not related to the rate of weight gain between 4 and 19 years.

Dr. Butte concludes, “Knowing factors which predict weight gain in a given population group can be helpful for designing education programs and weight management interventions. In addition, educators should remember individual differences. Not every child with a risk factor will gain weight excessively.”

Additional information about this study can be found in the June, 2007 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/85/6/1478).