Ecological Influences of Early Childhood Obesity: A Multilevel Analysis. (July 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Boonpleng, Wannaporn; Park, Chang Gi; Gallo, Agatha M.; Corte, Colleen; McCreary, Linda; Bergren, Martha Dewey
• Is Part Of: Western journal of nursing research. Volume 35:Number 6(2013)
• Page Start: 742
• Page End: 759
• Publication Date: 2013-07
• Subjects: secondary data analysis -- national data -- school influences -- community influences -- multilevel modeling; Nursing -- Research -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Research -- West (U.S.) -- Periodicals; Nursing -- West (U.S.) -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Nursing Research -- Periodicals; Soins infirmiers -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Soins infirmiers -- Périodiques; Soins infirmiers -- Recherche -- États-Unis (Ouest) -- Périodiques; Soins infirmiers -- États-Unis (Ouest) -- Périodiques; Soins infirmiers; Recherche; États-Unis (Ouest); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 610.730702
• DOI: 10.1177/0193945913480275
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0193-9459

Abstract

This study aims to determine the contributing factors for early childhood overweight/obesity within the contexts of the child's home, school, and community, and to determine how much each of the ecological contexts contributes to childhood overweight/obesity. The framework was developed from Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Data for 2, 100 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, were used in a series of multilevel modeling analyses. There was significant variation in childhood overweight/obesity by school and community. The majority of variation in childhood overweight/obesity was explained by the child and family factors in addition to school and community factors. Explained variance of childhood overweight/obesity at the school level was 27% and at the community level, 2%. The variance composition at children's family level alone was 71%. Therefore, overweight/obesity prevention efforts should focus primarily on child, family, and school factors and then community factors, to be more effective.