THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OBESE CHILDREN’S BODY MASS INDEX AND PARENTAL BODY MASS INDEX IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

*Maria Moualla, MD, Ahmad Chreitah, PhD and Souad Sakkour, PhD

ABSTRACT

Background: Obesity in childhood is a public health problem, whose importance has progressively increased in the last few years. Environmental factors are implicated in the rapid increases in prevalence of childhood overweight that have occurred in the past 2 decades. Parental obesity is a predominant risk factor for childhood obesity, and family factors including socio-economic status (SES) play a role in determining both parents and children weight. It is essential to unpick how shared family factors impact on child weight. Objectives: This study aims to determine the association between parental weight status measured by body mass index, familial socio-economic factors and the risk of childhood obesity at school age. Materials and Methods: An observational analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in 400 obese children (161 males 40.3% and 239 females 59.7%) who were followed up at the pediatric endocrine clinic at Tishreen University Hospital in Latakia-Syria between July 2023 - August 2024 and who met the eligibility criteria and had complete data. Results: Out of 400 obese children, 351 children (87.7%) had obese or overweight mothers, and 182 children (54.5%) had obese or overweight fathers. A significant relationship was found between parental obesity or overweight, and the obesity in their children. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between high parental education level and low financial income, and their children's obesity. Conclusion: The study revealed a significant association between parental obesity and overweight and children's obesity. We therefore recommend involving parents in weight loss programs applied to their children.

Keywords: childhood obesity, body mass index, parental BMI, Syria.