Childhood Obesity and Its Relationship to Sedentary Behavior Patterns vs. Other Independent Risk Factors of Obesity Among Navy Dependent Adolescents

Background According to data gathered in the NHANES 1999 survey 14% of American children are now classified as obese, a 60% increase in prevalence from the NHANES II survey in 1976. Multiple research studies have looked at the role of dietary intake, heredity, and physical activity participation as independent risk factors of obesity with mixed results. However, sedentary behavior patterns, which have markedly increased in the past ten years, have not been extensively studied in relation to childhood obesity. The goal of this study was to focus on the relationship between various sedentary behaviors and childhood obesity. Methods Two descriptive questionnaires and a food frequency questionnaire were used to gather data on 9-12 year old adolescents from Navy families in the Hampton Roads area. The questionnaires gathered data on hours and days spent in physical and sedentary activity, dietary intake, demographics, anthropometric data of both the child and parents, and parental exercise involvement with the child. A 101 total surveys were collected and used for analysis. Data were examined for frequency distributions and percentages as well as bi- and multi-variate relationship analysis of the independent variables to childhood obesity. Results Using the 95th percentile as a minimum on the new pediatric growth charts, 39.8% of children were categorized as obese based on their BMI. Associations were found between childhood obesity and total time spent on the computer per week day, total time spent watching television per week day, total hours per day in sedentary behavior, maternal BMI, and if both parents are obese. Significant trends with childhood obesity were also shown if a parent was home when the child got home from school and number of hours per week the father exercises with the child. Kappa analysis revealed a strong correlation between parent and child responses in the areas of sedentary behavior patterns, dietary intake, and perception of physical activity level. Using a multi-variate model it was found that the largest independent risk factor of childhood obesity was maternal BMI. Total time spent in sedentary behavior was the second largest risk factor with a strong trend. Father's BMI, total caloric intake, total time spent in physical activity, and demographic data showed no significant relationship with child's body mass index. Conclusions Childhood obesity is a major problem among adolescents of Navy personnel. The present study shows that the strongest risk factors among these children are maternal body mass index and time spent in sedentary behaviors. Development of educational and intervention programs for this population should therefore focus on parental involvement and methods to decrease sedentary lifestyle habits.