Minority children in the U.S. and England face significantly higher risks for weight problems than white kids, according to new research.
The findings, published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, are based on an analysis of health records of 6,816 children from the U.S. and the U.K.
In addition to finding ties between ethnicity, immigrant status, and weight problems for children, researchers determined socioeconomic status is only a risk factor for weight problems among white children and is not a determining factor for children of other races.
"In the United States, both Hispanic and black children of native-born mothers have a higher risk of overweight than children of native-born whites," wrote study authors Melissa L. Martinson, Sara McLanahan and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. "In England, children of native-born black mothers have a higher risk of overweight, and in some models, children of native-born Asian mothers have a higher risk."
The researchers added that immigrants are often missed in studies of health.
"Unless migrant youths are engaged in the labor market, they often are ignored by international reports about migration and development," wrote editors Alícia Adserá and Marta Tienda.