Childhood overweight in a New York City WIC population.
OBJECTIVE
We estimated the prevalence of overweight in a population of young children enrolled in a New York City Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.


METHODS
Administrative and survey data were collected from a sample of enrolled families. Body mass index (BMI) of 557 children aged 2, 3, and 4 years was compared by sociodemographic and nutrition characteristics.


RESULTS
Forty percent of the children were overweight or at risk for overweight (BMI >/= 85th percentile). Compared with other racial/ethnic groups combined, Hispanic children were more than twice as likely (odds ratio = 2.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.8, 3.8) to be overweight or at risk for overweight. Two-year-olds were less likely to be overweight than 3- and 4-year-olds.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions to address childhood overweight should be culturally specific and target very young children.
Nelson
Jennifer A
JA
Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, Inc (MHRA), USA. jnelson@mhra.org
Chiasson
Mary Ann
MA
Ford
Viola
V
D000385:Aid to Families with Dependent Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*