The role of family and maternal factors in childhood obesity.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between a child's weight and a broad range of family and maternal factors.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data from a population-based prospective study, collected between January 2004 and December 2005, for 329 children aged 6-13 years (192 healthy weight, 97 overweight and 40 obese) and their mothers (n=265) recruited from a paediatric hospital endocrinology department and eight randomly selected primary schools in Perth, Western Australia.


METHODS
Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of children and mothers; demographic information; maternal depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem; general family functioning; parenting style; and negative life events.


RESULTS
In a multilevel model, maternal BMI and family structure (single-parent v two-parent families) were the only significant predictors of child BMI z scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood obesity is not associated with adverse maternal or family characteristics such as maternal depression, negative life events, poor general family functioning or ineffective parenting style. However, having an overweight mother and a single-parent (single-mother) family increases the likelihood of a child being overweight or obese.
Gibson
Lisa Y
LY
Division of Population Sciences, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA. lisag@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Byrne
Susan M
SM
Davis
Elizabeth A
EA
Blair
Eve
E
Jacoby
Peter
P
Zubrick
Stephen R
SR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012380:Role; D012574:Schools; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology