Alison Parkes, Helen Sweeting and Daniel Wight
Prepared for the Scottish Government: Children and Families ASU by the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit
Suggested citation: Parkes, A., Sweeting, H. and Wight, D. (2012) Growing Up in Scotland: Overweight, obesity and activity, Edinburgh: Scottish Government
ISBN 978 1 78045 743 7 (Web only publication)
DPPAS 12792
This document is also available in pdf format (881k)
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.1.1 Childhood overweight and obesity
1.1.2 Children's physical activity
1.2 Research into risk factors for childhood obesity: multiple causes
1.3 Parental influences on childhood obesity and constraints on healthy weight management
1.3.1 Parental influences
1.3.2 Family and neighbourhood constraints on healthy weight management
1.3.3 Parental recognition of overweight, and concerns about their child's weight
1.4 Research into factors associated with children's physical activity
1.5 Using the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) study to investigate children's overweight/obesity and activity
1.6 Research questions
1.6.1 What potentially modifiable factors are associated with children's overweight and obesity?
1.6.2 What potentially modifiable factors are associated with children's low activity levels?
1.6.3 Mother's recognition of overweight in their child
2 METHODS
2.1 Sample
2.2 Defining overweight and obesity
2.3 Defining physical activity and sedentary behaviour
2.4 Conceptual framework to explore factors associated with children's overweight and obesity at age 6
2.4.1 Parental factors
2.4.2 Family and neighbourhood constraints on healthy weight management
2.5 Conceptual framework to explore factors associated with children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour at age 6
2.6 Analysis
3 OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY
3.1 Key findings
3.2 Prevalence and tracking of children's overweight and obesity
3.2.1 Prevalence of overweight and obesity at age 6
3.2.2 Association between overweight/obesity and children's height
3.2.3 Tracking of overweight and/or obesity
3.3 Exploration of child and family factors associated with children's overweight and obesity
3.4 Exploration of parental factors associated with children's overweight and obesity
3.5 Exploration of family and neighbourhood constraints associated with children's overweight and obesity
3.6 Multivariate modelling of factors associated with children's overweight and obesity at age 6
4 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR
4.1 Key findings
4.2 Levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour at age 6
4.3 Are sedentary behaviour and physical activity interrelated at age 6?
4.4 Associations between activity levels and children's health
4.5 Associations between activity levels and season of the year
4.6 Associations between age 6 activity levels and overweight or obesity
4.7 Exploration of factors associated with age 6 physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.7.1 Child and family characteristics associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.7.2 Parental factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.7.3 Distal family constraints on children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.7.4 Proximal family constraints
4.7.5 Distal neighbourhood constraints on children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.7.6 Proximal neighbourhood constraints on children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour
4.8 Multivariate modelling of children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour at age 6
5 MOTHERS' AWARENESS AND CONCERN FOR CHILDREN'S OVERWEIGHT
5.1 Key Findings
5.2 What proportion of mothers recognised their child's overweight or obesity?
5.3 What proportion of mothers recognised their own overweight?
5.4 Factors associated with mothers' failure to recognise children's overweight or obesity at age 6
5.4.1 Mother's BMI classification and recognition of child's overweight
5.4.2 Child characteristics associated with non-recognition of children's overweight or obesity: gender
5.4.3 Multivariate model of factors associated with mothers' recognition of overweight in their child
5.5 Mothers' concerns about weight
5.5.1 Mothers' concerns about their child's weight
5.5.2 Association between mother's recognition of child's overweight and concern
5.5.3 Mothers' concerns about their own weight
5.5.4 Factors associated with greater mother's concern for overweight children
5.6 Did mother's awareness of, and concern for, overweight at age 4 help their child to lose weight?
6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
6.1 Factors associated with children's overweight and/or obesity
6.2 Factors associated with children's low activity levels (physical activity and sedentary behaviour)
6.3 Mother's recognition and concerns for their child's overweight
6.3.1 Strengths and limitations of the study
6.4 Policy implications
7 REFERENCES
8 APPENDIX
8.1 Descriptions of measures used
8.1.1 Child characteristics
8.1.2 Maternal characteristics
8.1.3 Family characteristics
8.1.4 Parenting
8.1.5 Neighbourhood characteristics