Association between the Sociodemographic Characteristics of Parents with Health-Related and Lifestyle Markers of Children in Three Different Spanish-Speaking Countries: An Inter-Continental Study at OECD Country Level
Association between the Sociodemographic Characteristics of Parents with Health-Related and Lifestyle Markers of Children in Three Different Spanish-Speaking Countries: An Inter-Continental Study at OECD Country Level
Authors
Álvarez, Cristian
Guzman Guzman, Iris Paola
Latorre Román, Pedro Ángel
Párraga Montilla, Juan
Palomino Devia, Constanza
Reyes Oyola, Felipe Augusto
Paredes Arévalo, Lorena
Leal Oyarzun, Marlys
Obando Calderón, Isabel
Cresp Barria, Mauricio
Machuca Barria, Claudia
Pena Troncoso, Sebastián
Jerez Mayorga, Daniel
Delgado Floody, Pedro
Guzman Guzman, Iris Paola
Latorre Román, Pedro Ángel
Párraga Montilla, Juan
Palomino Devia, Constanza
Reyes Oyola, Felipe Augusto
Paredes Arévalo, Lorena
Leal Oyarzun, Marlys
Obando Calderón, Isabel
Cresp Barria, Mauricio
Machuca Barria, Claudia
Pena Troncoso, Sebastián
Jerez Mayorga, Daniel
Delgado Floody, Pedro
Authors
Date
Datos de publicación:
NUTRIENTS, Vol. 13, 2021
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Abstract
The purpose of this cross-cultural study was to determine the association between the sociodemographic background of a child's parents (i.e., their socioeconomic level, marital status, and educational level) with the child's lifestyle (i.e., Mediterranean diet (MD), physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST)), and health markers. Material: This cross-sectional study included 1273 children, from Chile (n = 496), Colombia (n = 340), and Spain (n = 437). The sociodemographic information together with the lifestyle and health markers of the children were measured. There was an inverse association between a low or medium-low socioeconomic level for the parents of Chilean children and handgrip strength (beta -0.61, p < 0.001); meanwhile, for Spanish children, an inverse association between a low or medium-low socioeconomic level and PA after school (beta -0.58, p = 0.016), lifestyle (beta -0.74, p = 0.015), and with MD adherence (beta -0.86, p = 0.004) was found. The risk (i.e., by odd ratios (OR)) of being divorced/separated parents marital status showed an inverse association with abdominal obesity (OR 0.21, p = 0.045) in Spanish children; however, the parent's marital status and a low educational level were risk factors for the suffering of a low nutritional level in Colombian children (OR 2.02, p = 0.048; OR 2.49, p < 0.001, respectively). On the other hand, a low educational level for parents reported for Chilean children had a positive association with ST of >= 4 h per day (OR 1.82, p = 0.020). In conclusion, in Spanish-speaking children, the lifestyle and health markers of the children are affected by the sociodemographic background of their parents; however, these effects could be moderated by the socio-cultural and economic status of their countries as members of the OCDE; therefore, it is essential to develop policies that decrease these gaps, so that children who are under-resourced can reach their full potential.