Young Latino Children Obesity: The Importance of Socioeconomic Status, Home Language, TV Watching, and Physical Activity

23 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2017

Date Written: March 8, 2017

Abstract

The incidence of young Latino children obesity is a public health concern. Among 5-year-olds, 16% of Latinos are obese compared with 10% of whites. Obesity disparities between non-Latino white and Latino children increase significantly with age. The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of socioeconomic status (SES), home language, physical activity, and TV watching for explaining obesity disparities between 5-year-old white and Latino children. Also, the long-lasting influence of these four variables is studied by analyzing their impact on obesity as children grew to ages 6, 8, and 10. We used a nationally representative sample drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) collected in 1998-99. Logistic regression models with adjusted standard errors for the complex sampling design and nested structure of the ECLS-K were estimated. Analyses were conducted in 2012. SES and home language were significantly associated with obesity after controlling for covariates. Similarly, physical activity had a negative association and TV watching has a positive association with obesity. When accounting for all four variables, obesity disparities between white and Latino children became statistically non-significant. All four factors had lasting effects on obesity even as children grew to ages 6, 8, and 10. Findings identified mechanisms to reduce young Latino children’ obesity disparities. The benefits of these mechanisms persist throughout early adolescence, which is particularly important given the need to implement interventions with long term effects.

Keywords: Children obesity, Latinos, socioeconomic status, home language, physical activity

JEL Classification: I10, I24

Suggested Citation

Galindo, Caludia and Prada, Sergio, Young Latino Children Obesity: The Importance of Socioeconomic Status, Home Language, TV Watching, and Physical Activity (March 8, 2017). Documentos PROESA #12, Universidad Icesi School of Management and Economics Research Paper No. 2929496, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2929496 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2929496

Caludia Galindo

University of Maryland ( email )

College Park
College Park, MD 20742
United States

Sergio Prada (Contact Author)

Centro PROESA ( email )

Calle 18 122-135
Cali, Valle del Cauca
Colombia

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