Factors associated with school-aged children's body mass index in Korean American families.
OBJECTIVE
To examine factors associated with children's body mass index and obesity-risk behaviours in Korean American families.


BACKGROUND
Limited data are available about family factors related to overweight and obesity in Korean American children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Convenient sampling was employed to recruit Korean American families in the Northeast of the United States between August 2014 and January 2015. Child, family and societal/demographic/community factors were measured with self-report questionnaires completed by mothers and children. Height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index. Data were analyzed using mixed effects models incorporating within-group correlation in siblings.


RESULTS
The sample included 170 Korean American children and 137 mothers. In bivariate analyses, more child screen time, number of children in the household, greater parental underestimation of child's weight and children's participation in the school lunch program were significantly associated with higher child body mass index. In multivariate analyses that included variables showing significant bivariate relationship, no variable was associated with child body mass index.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no child, family and societal/demographic/community factors related to child body mass index in Korean American families in the multivariate analysis, which is contrary to research in other racial/ethnic groups. In bivariate analyses, there is evidence that some factors were significantly related to child body mass index. Further research is needed to understand the unique behavioural, social and cultural features that contribute to childhood obesity in Korean American families.
School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Myoungock
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7366-1673
M
Jang
School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT, USA.
Margaret
M
Grey
School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT, USA.
Lois
L
Sadler
School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT, USA.
Sangchoon
S
Jeon
School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT, USA.
Soohyun
S
Nam
Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Hee-Jung
HJ
Song
School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT, USA.
Robin
R
Whittemore
D000293:Adolescent; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
Korean American children; Nursing; childhood overweight and obesity; ecological systems theory; family environment