Question 1
In the past, lower socioeconomic status has been linked to being more at risk for overweight than higher socioeconomic status. In this study however, results were confounding. Why did the water and mixed/light beverage clusters have the highest household income and yet also have the highest proportion of children at risk for being overweight?
posted by karlie @ 2:23 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Looking at the tables and figures for children ages 6-11 (since the results for 2-5 YO children actually showed no significant differences in BMI between beverage patterns), it shows that BMI was much higher in the water cluster which was also a group with higher household income. The article points out there are higher levels of dieting in children with higher BMIs, which explains the lower intake of calories (mix/light drinkers and water clusters had the lowest energy intake), the higher rate of physical activity, and increased water consumption. Taking into account socioeconomic status, this group would have more disposable income for computer/video games, meals eaten out, and so forth, which may have contributed to the higher BMI initially, thus probably resulting in dieting. The water cluster in this age group also had a higher percent of non-Hispanic white; noting ethnicity and household income, this group may view overweight as less acceptable and dieting perhaps as more acceptable or even somewhat common.
The result of higher socioeconomic status being linked to higher BMI conflicts with much of the older research, but may make more sense logically. If you are wealthier you have more disposable income to buy different types of food, eat out, and to have many things done for you rather than exert the excess energy themselves. I agree with the comment that Vanessa made about higher incomes being able to afford activities that promote more idleness as well as being able to eat out more often which is known for offering ridiculous portion sizes and fatty/high caloric plates. This is a very interesting topic and should be explored more in depth because there could be a vast majority of answers to the trend seen in this study.
I believe that the results of this study may not be that significant considering that it is only one study and conflicts with a lot of previous research that shows children with higher incomes being less overweight. I do agree with Lauren and Vanessa however that part of the reason that the higher income group may exhibit these qualities is due to more disposable income. However, these children would also be more likely to participate in sports/activities outside of school so in that sense it should balance out that effect. Overall, however children are spending more time indoors and it's possible the higher income families have their children with a babysitter/home alone more where they can spend hours in front of the tv instead of outside.
They mentioned that those in the mixed/light beverage and water clusters had higher BMI’s (increased proportion of children at risk for being overweight) due to reverse causation. Meaning the diet may have been modified because of weight. High household income may go along with that as those with a higher income may have access to more resources and be more apt to realize that their child is overweight and try to fix it.
By looking at the tables for children ages 6-11, I noticed that the BMI was much higher for those in the water cluster than in the mix/light drinker BMI when looking at high income. The higher levels of dieting amongst these high income children accompanied with increased physical activity and water consumption indicates that there may be increased pressure put on children to physically look a certain way with high economic status. Also, these families have a disposable income. They are able to purchase video games for children an eat out frequently. This could also be a cause for the risk of overweight in high income children.
Annie...
I agree that the study may not be significant considering it is only one study and there were conflicting results. However, it does bring up interesting information that should probably be studied more. And Vanessa, I agree that it is important to look at the ethnicity of the populations because different cultures have different views on being overweight and what is acceptable!
As stated previously above, families with more income are able to be spend it on eating out, having more food available at home, and afford entertainment that does not require physical activity. Also, as Lauren stated that this research is conflicting with older research, lower socioeconomic families usually consume the high sugar high caloric beverages because they are more affordable and feed more people. Also, families with less income tend to buy higher-fat, higher-caloric foods which would lead to weight gain. Different ethnicities have certain acceptable weight and those that feel more pressure to be thinner would drink the less caloric beverages but be at risk for being overweight because of the yo-yo dieting. It will be interesting to see what will unfold with the next generation, the different weight trends and health complications
Even though this children are drinking water and light drinks, this does not mean that their diets are optimal. Since these families can afford more, they may be consuming more calories in food products instead of beverages. You would hope that these parents are pushing fruits and vegetables, but since they do have more disposable income to spend on items other than bills and such, they are probably eating out more frequently than the lower socioeconomic status individuals. Meals that are eaten out generally are higher in calories and may have larger portion sizes. Due to this, these children are probably getting the bulk of their calories from unhealthy food options. I also agree with the comments that people with the higher socioeconomic status can afford activities that do not promote moving around. These families can afford entertainment that is higher priced (the latest videogames) that just require sitting. These factors could be the reason that this study found confounding differences between the two socioeconomic statuses.
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