The relationship among obesity, quality of life, and health care in African American school children
School
School of Public Health
Document Type
Dissertation
Department (new version)
Public Health
Date of Award
2003
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) School of Public Health
Abstract
A study demonstrating that the consequences of childhood obesity reach beyond the medical, social, and economic ramifications and affect a child's self-perceived quality of life may assist in advancing the issue of childhood obesity on the public agenda. This study investigated the possible physical and psychosocial consequences of obesity on self-perceived quality of life among children. Also, the study examined the relationship between health care utilization and childhood obesity. Sample . African American children in Grades 3–5 attending six Birmingham city schools in Alabama. Seventy-five percent of these children received free or reduced priced meals. Methods . Self-perceived health-related quality of life was measured using the PedsQL 4.0. The 23-item questionnaire consists of four scales evaluating physical, emotional, social, and school functioning. Six questions from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to measure comorbid conditions, health care utilization, and health insurance status. Weight, height, and blood pressure were measured during a school health exhibit entitled Body-Trek. Results . Of the 848 total responses (mean age = 9.84 years, 48.8% female), 18.1 were classified as overweight (BMI for age ≥85th %ile and <95th %ile) and 24.1% were classified as obese (≥95th %ile). Ten percent had normal borderline high blood pressure, and 15.6% had high blood pressure. Significant positive associations were found between blood pressure and weight, X 2 (6) = 128.73; p < .001. Underweight and obese children had significantly lower psychosocial summary scores than normal and overweight children ( F = 2.75; p =.042). Obese children had significantly lower PedsQL mean scores for social functioning than their underweight, normal, and overweight peers ( F = 5.44; p < .001). For physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and total scale score, girls had significantly lower mean scores than boys. Comorbid conditions, being underweight, location of school, and insurance status were predictive of health care utilization. Conclusions . African American, obese school-aged children in Birmingham, Alabama, had significantly lower social functioning mean scores than their underweight, normal weight, and overweight peers.
ProQuest Publication Number
ProQuest ID
3130227
ISBN
978-0-496-77480-7
Recommended Citation
Fiveash, Laura B., "The relationship among obesity, quality of life, and health care in African American school children" (2003). All ETDs from UAB. 7228.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7228
Comments
DrPH