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The differential effect of socio-economic status, birth weight and gender on body mass index in Australian Aboriginal Children

International Journal of Obesity volume 40, pages 1089–1095 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Adult Aboriginal Australians have 1.5-fold higher risk of obesity, but the trajectory of body mass index (BMI) through childhood and adolescence and the contribution of socio-economic factors remain unclear. Our objective was to determine the changes in BMI in Australian Aboriginal children relative to non-Aboriginal children as they move through adolescence into young adulthood, and to identify risk factors for higher BMI.

Methods:

A prospective cohort study of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal school children commenced in 2002 across 15 different screening areas across urban, regional and remote New South Wales, Australia. Socio-economic status was recorded at study enrolment and participants' BMI was measured every 2 years. We fitted a series of mixed linear regression models adjusting for age, birth weight and socio-economic status for boys and girls.

Results:

In all, 3418 (1949 Aboriginal) participants were screened over a total of 11 387 participant years of follow-up. The prevalence of obesity was higher among Aboriginal children from mean age 11 years at baseline (11.6 vs 7.6%) to 16 years at 8 years follow-up (18.6 vs 12.3%). The mean BMI increased with age and was significantly higher among Aboriginal girls compared with non-Aboriginal girls (P<0.01). Girls born of low birth weight had a lower BMI than girls born of normal birth weight (P<0.001). Socio-economic status and low birth weight had a differential effect on BMI for Aboriginal boys compared with non-Aboriginal boys (P for interaction=0.01). Aboriginal boys of highest socio-economic status, unlike those of lower socio-economic status, had a higher BMI compared with non-Aboriginal boys. Non-Aboriginal boys of low birth weight were heavier than Aboriginal boys.

Conclusions:

Socio-economic status and birth weight have differential effects on BMI among Aboriginal boys, and Aboriginal girls had a higher mean BMI than non-Aboriginal girls through childhood and adolescence. Intervention programs need to recognise the differential risk for obesity for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal boys and girls to maximise their impact.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants and their communities, Aboriginal Medical Services and participating schools, for their support of the study since its inception in 2002. We also acknowledge the support of the ARDAC Advisory Committee in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Kidney Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead,, New South Wales, Australia

    S Kim, E M Hodson, J Daylight, R Williams, R Kearns, N Vukasin & J C Craig

  2. Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

    S Kim, P Macaskill, L A Baur, E M Hodson & J C Craig

  3. Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

    S Kim & L A Baur

  4. Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

    D M Lyle

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  1. S Kim
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Correspondence to S Kim.

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Kim, S., Macaskill, P., Baur, L. et al. The differential effect of socio-economic status, birth weight and gender on body mass index in Australian Aboriginal Children. Int J Obes 40, 1089–1095 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2016.71

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