Weight Status Change in Chinese American Children over a Ten-Year Period: Retrospective Study of a Primary Care Pediatric Population

Jia Lu Lilian Lin, Olivia Zhong, Raymond Tse, Jennifer D. Lau, Eda Chao and Loretta Au
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Jia Lu Lilian Lin: Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Olivia Zhong: CUNY School of Medicine, New York, NY 10031, USA
Raymond Tse: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
Jennifer D. Lau: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
Eda Chao: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
Loretta Au: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York, NY 10013, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: Weight change from childhood to adolescence has been understudied in Asian Americans. Known studies lack disaggregation by Asian subgroups. This retrospective study assessed the weight status change in 1500 Chinese American children aged 5–11 years from an urban primary care health center between 2007 and 2017. Weight status was categorized using the 2000 CDC growth charts into “underweight/normal weight” and “overweight/obese.” The overweight/obesity prevalence in 2007 and 2017 were determined. McNemar’s test and logistic regression were performed. The prevalence of overweight/obesity decreased from 29.9% in 2007 to 18.6% in 2017. Children who were overweight/obese at 5–11 years had 10.3 increased odds of staying overweight/obese over time (95% CI = 7.6–14.0, p < 0.001) compared to their underweight/normal weight counterparts. Of the children who were overweight/obese in 2007, 45.7% remained overweight/obese ten years later. Childhood overweight/obesity strongly predicts adult overweight/obesity in Chinese Americans. Targeted education and intervention are warranted to prevent adult obesity.

Keywords: Asian Americans; overweight; obesity; pediatrics; emigrants and immigrants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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