Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: The Role of Acculturation on Early Childhood Nutritional Status: A Study of Boston and Springfield, MA WIC Mothers and Children

博士论文改进：文化适应对儿童早期营养状况的作用：对马萨诸塞州波士顿和斯普林菲尔德的母亲和儿童的研究

• 批准号: 0524960
• 负责人: Peter Ellison
• 金额: $ 0.7万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-01 至 2006-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0524960&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Role; Acculturation

The obesity epidemic in the U.S. has reached staggering proportions, with 65% of the adult population overweight and 31% obese. At present, 24% of all children are classified as overweight (body mass index (BMI)) 85th-94th percentile), with low-income, ethnic groups particularly at risk. Recent research has shown that exposure to an obesigenic environment, living in the U.S. 10 to 15 years, is associated with a significant increase in BMI in adult immigrants, while surprisingly little is known of such acculturation effects in children. With demographic predictions estimating that 1 out of every 5 children in the U.S. lives in a family where one or both parents are foreign-born, the urgency of examining the health needs of children born to immigrant parents is apparent. Does mothers' acculturation status offer any protective effect on child's nutritional status? What are the intergenerational effects on the development of childhood obesity in such ethnic groups? This study examines the influence of maternal acculturation level on early childhood nutritional status among underrepresented low income, immigrant and U.S. born mothers and their young children (ages 2-5 years) enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Boston and Springfield, MA. Mixed quantitative and qualitative methodologies are undertaken to test the influence of acculturation on early childhood BMI and dietary intake as well as mothers' perceptions, practices and behaviors related to early child feeding and risk of overweight. Other various mediating factors related to child feeding and risk of overweight such as mothers' weight status, breastfeeding duration, socio-economic status, social support networks, and household food insecurity are also investigated. The broader impact of this research is to promote graduate training while mobilizing the continuation of interdisciplinary partnerships between biological anthropology and public health researchers and the Massachusetts State WIC program. The broader impact of the research findings will be to identify the association of acculturation status with early child obesity and dietary intake among immigrants, providing a better understanding of one key barrier to preventing and managing childhood overweight among such low-income, minority, populations. Such knowledge about prevailing cultural and economic exigencies may serve as a basis for justification and design of behavioral intervention. Ultimately, this research will provide critical information for the design of culturally appropriate, efficacious maternal nutrition education models to have a wider, beneficial influence on early child feeding and weight status in ethnic and immigrant groups. The results of this project will be published in peer-reviewed anthropological, public health and nutrition journals in order to disseminate the findings and their potential implications to a wider audience.

美国的肥胖症流行已经达到了惊人的比例，有65％的成年人口超重和肥胖31％。目前，所有儿童中有24％被归类为超重（体重指数（BMI）），第85-94％），低收入，族裔群体尤其有风险。最近的研究表明，生活在美国10至15年的超级生环境的接触与成年移民的BMI显着增加有关，而令人惊讶的是，对儿童的这种适应性影响很少。人群预测估计，美国每5个孩子中有1个生活在一个或两个父母是外国出生的家庭中，很明显地检查移民父母所生子的健康需求的紧迫性很明显。母亲的适应状况是否对儿童的营养状况有任何保护作用？在此类种族中，对儿童肥胖的发展有什么代际影响？这项研究检查了孕产妇的适应水平对幼儿营养状况不足的低收入，移民和美国出生的母亲及其幼儿（2-5岁）的影响）在马萨诸塞州波士顿和斯普林菲尔德。进行了混合定量和定性方法，以测试适应性对幼儿BMI和饮食摄入量的影响以及母亲的看法，实践和行为与早期儿童喂养和超重风险有关。还研究了与儿童喂养和超重风险有关的其他各种调解因素，例如母亲的体重状况，母乳喂养持续时间，社会经济状况，社会支持网络和家庭粮食不安全。这项研究的广泛影响是促进研究生培训，同时动员生物人类学与公共卫生研究人员和马萨诸塞州WIC计划之间的跨学科伙伴关系的持续。研究结果的更广泛的影响是确定移民的适应状况与早期儿童肥胖和饮食摄入的关联，从而更好地了解了预防和管理这种低收入，少数群体人口中童年超重的关键障碍。这种关于流行文化和经济紧急情况的知识可能是行为干预的理由和设计的基础。最终，这项研究将为设计适当，有效的母亲营养教育模型的设计提供关键信息，以对早期儿童喂养和种族和移民群体的体重状况产生更广泛的有益影响。该项目的结果将在经过同行评审的人类学，公共卫生和营养期刊上发表，以传播发现及其对更广泛受众的潜在影响。