title: The association of household food security, household characteristics and school environment with obesity status among off-reserve First Nations and Métis children and youth in Canada: results from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Indigenous children are twice as likely to be classified as obese and three times as likely to experience household food insecurity when compared with non- Indigenous Canadian children. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between food insecurity and weight status among Métis and off-reserve First Nations children and youth across Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  We obtained data on children and youth aged 6 to 17 years (n = 6900) from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey. We tested bivariate relationships using Pearson chi-square tests and used nested binary logistic regressions to examine the food insecurity-weight status relationship, after controlling for geography, household and school characteristics and cultural factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 22% of Métis and First Nations children and youth were overweight, and 15% were classified as obese. Over 80% of the sample was reported as food secure, 9% experienced low food security and 7% were severely food insecure. Off-reserve Indigenous children and youth from households with very low food security were at higher risk of overweight or obese status; however, this excess risk was not independent of household socioeconomic status, and was reduced by controlling for household income, adjusted for household size. Negative school environment was also a significant predictor of obesity risk, independent of demographic, household and geographic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both food insecurity and obesity were prevalent among the Indigenous groups studied, and our results suggest that a large proportion of children and youth who are food insecure are also overweight or obese. This study reinforces the importance of including social determinants of health, such as income, school environment and geography, in programs or policies targeting child obesity.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bhawra
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wilk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: First Nations; Indigenous peoples; Métis; child obesity; food insecurity; school environment