Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children of Immigrant Origin in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Joaquín Moncho, Alba Martínez-García and Eva Mª Trescastro-López
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Joaquín Moncho: Research Unit for the Analysis of Mortality and Health Statistics, Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine, Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Alba Martínez-García: Balmis Research Group in History of Science, Health Care and Food, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Eva Mª Trescastro-López: Balmis Research Group in History of Science, Health Care and Food, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Social determinants of health are a major contributing factor to health inequalities and have important effects on the health of the population. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight/obesity in native and immigrant children aged 2–14 years residing in Spain, and to explore its relationship with socioeconomic factors, habits, and living and health conditions. This study used data from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey, which collects health information on the population residing in Spain. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the risk of overweight/obesity controlling for the variables of interest. The final sample consisted of 2351 households. Children of immigrant origin had a significantly higher overall prevalence of overweight and/or obesity than natives, both in boys (40.5% vs. 29.5%) and girls (44.8% vs. 30.3%), and a higher adjusted risk of overweight/obesity (OR = 1.67). In addition, it has been observed that children of immigrant origin were at higher risk of consuming sugary soft drinks, exercising less, and using screens more. In conclusion, the increased risk of having different habits that may contribute to developing excess weight and of having overweight/obesity in children with a migrant background should guide public health policies and interventions, emphasizing those groups at higher risk and incorporating considerations of socioeconomic inequalities.

Keywords: immigrants; childhood obesity; diet; nutritional health behavior; overweight; obesity; socioeconomic factors; health; inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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