TY - JOUR
T1 - Obesity and socioeconomic status in children of Tijuana
AU - Villa-Caballero, Leonel
AU - Caballero-Solano, Víctor
AU - Chavarría-Gamboa, Marcelo
AU - Linares-Lomeli, Patricia
AU - Torres-Valencia, Erendira
AU - Medina-Santillán, Roberto
AU - Palinkas, Lawrence A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Research funds and personnel were obtained from the Nutrition Department of the Universidad Iberoamericana, Tijuana. Partial funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award University of California-San Diego–San Diego State University Fellowship Grant (NIH-GM068524) and the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social of Mexico (LVC). We are grateful to the state education secretariat in Tijuana Baja California for collaboration and support on this study. We thank Paul Shragg for assistance in data analysis, and students in the Nutrition Department program at the Universidad Iberoamericana for their assistance in data collection.
PY - 2006/3
Y1 - 2006/3
N2 - Background: Although obesity has been associated with socioeconomic status among Hispanics living in the United States, little is known about whether a similar association exists among Hispanics living in Mexico, particularly among those living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Objective: To determine the prevalence of obesity and its association with socioeconomic status in Mexican schoolchildren attending public and private schools in Tijuana, Baja California. Methods: Anthropometric measurements and socioeconomic status were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 1172 school children, aged 6 to 13 years from 55 schools in Tijuana in 2001-2002. Underweight (body mass index [BMI] for age 5th percentile or lower), risk of overweight (BMI at 85th percentile or higher), and overweight (BMI greater than 95th percentile) were assessed using charts published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: Abnormalities in weight were found in 46.3% of 587 boys and 43.7% of 585 girls in the study. Undernutrition was found in 3.7% of the boys and 3.8% of the girls. The general prevalence of overweight was 23.2% for boys and 21.7% for girls. Children living in low-income neighborhoods had the thickest biceps skinfolds (p<0.01), while children living in moderate-income neighborhoods and attending public schools had the thickest triceps skinfolds (p<0.001). Although boys living in high socioeconomic status neighborhoods were at decreased risk for being overweight, boys and girls attending private schools had a 75% increased risk (odds ratio, 1.75; confidence interval, 1.22-2.52) of being overweight than children attending public schools. Conclusions: Adiposity varies by type of school and neighborhood socioeconomic status. The biphasic curve in risk for being overweight associated with neighborhood socioeconomic status suggests that Mexican children living along the U.S. border may be experiencing a nutrition transition with respect to an increased risk of obesity and related chronic disease.
AB - Background: Although obesity has been associated with socioeconomic status among Hispanics living in the United States, little is known about whether a similar association exists among Hispanics living in Mexico, particularly among those living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Objective: To determine the prevalence of obesity and its association with socioeconomic status in Mexican schoolchildren attending public and private schools in Tijuana, Baja California. Methods: Anthropometric measurements and socioeconomic status were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 1172 school children, aged 6 to 13 years from 55 schools in Tijuana in 2001-2002. Underweight (body mass index [BMI] for age 5th percentile or lower), risk of overweight (BMI at 85th percentile or higher), and overweight (BMI greater than 95th percentile) were assessed using charts published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: Abnormalities in weight were found in 46.3% of 587 boys and 43.7% of 585 girls in the study. Undernutrition was found in 3.7% of the boys and 3.8% of the girls. The general prevalence of overweight was 23.2% for boys and 21.7% for girls. Children living in low-income neighborhoods had the thickest biceps skinfolds (p<0.01), while children living in moderate-income neighborhoods and attending public schools had the thickest triceps skinfolds (p<0.001). Although boys living in high socioeconomic status neighborhoods were at decreased risk for being overweight, boys and girls attending private schools had a 75% increased risk (odds ratio, 1.75; confidence interval, 1.22-2.52) of being overweight than children attending public schools. Conclusions: Adiposity varies by type of school and neighborhood socioeconomic status. The biphasic curve in risk for being overweight associated with neighborhood socioeconomic status suggests that Mexican children living along the U.S. border may be experiencing a nutrition transition with respect to an increased risk of obesity and related chronic disease.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=32344438860&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.10.023
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.10.023
M3 - Artículo
SN - 0749-3797
VL - 30
SP - 197
EP - 203
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
IS - 3
ER -