Top

Published in:

01-11-2013

Demographic and Placement Variables Associated with Overweight and Obesity in Children in Long-Term Foster Care

Authors: Janet U. Schneiderman, Janet S. Arnold-Clark, Caitlin Smith, Lei Duan, Jorge Fuentes

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 9/2013

Abstract

Overweight and obesity is a growing problem for children in foster care. This study describes the prevalence of overweight and obesity in an urban, ethnic minority population of children ages 2–19 in long-term foster care (N = 312) in Los Angeles, California. It also investigates whether demographics or placement settings are related to high body mass index. The estimates of prevalence of overweight/obesity (≥85th percentile) and obesity (≥95th percentile) were presented for gender, age, ethnicity, and placement type. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine potential associations between demographic and placement variables and weight status. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was almost 40 % and obesity was 23 % for the study population. Children placed in a group home had the highest prevalence of overweight/obesity (60 %) and obesity (43 %) compared to other types of placement. Within this study, older children (ages 12–19) were more likely to be overweight/obese than normal weight compared to children between 2 and 5 years old when controlling for gender, ethnicity and placement (OR = 2.10, CI = 1.14–3.87). These findings suggest that older age and long-term foster care in general may be risk factors for obesity. Child welfare agencies and health care providers need to work together to train caregivers with children in long-term foster care in obesity treatment interventions and obesity prevention strategies.

Wang, Y., & Lobstein, T. (2006). Worldwide trends in childhood overweight and obesity. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 1(1), 11–25.CrossRefPubMed

Wyatt, S. B., Winters, K. P., & Dubbert, P. M. (2006). Overweight and obesity: Prevalence, consequences, and causes of a growing public health problem. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 331(4), 166–174.CrossRefPubMed

Kim, H. S., Ham, O. K., Lee, C. Y., & Lee, T. W. (2009). Health problems and health behaviors of Korean preschoolers living with parents and under guardianship. Public Health Nursing, 26(3), 207–217.CrossRefPubMed

Schneiderman, J. U., Leslie, L. K., Arnold-Clark, J. S., McDaniel, D., & Xie, B. (2011). Pediatric health assessments of young children in child welfare by placement type. Child Abuse and Neglect, 35(1), 29–39.CrossRefPubMed

Steele, J. S., & Buchi, K. F. (2008). Medical and mental health of children entering the Utah foster care system. Pediatrics, 122(3), e703–e709.CrossRefPubMed

Benedict, M. I., Zuravin, S., & Stallings, R. Y. (1996). Adult functioning of children who lived in kin versus nonrelative family foster homes. Child Welfare, 75(5), 529–549.PubMed

Jee, S. H., & Simms, M. D. (2006). Health and well-being of children in foster care placement. Pediatrics in Review, 27(1), 34–36.CrossRefPubMed

Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, 42 U.S.C. § 1305. (1997).

Gendell, S. J. (2001). In search of permanency: A reflection on the first 3 years of the Adoption and Safe Families Act implementation. Family Court Review, 39(1), 25–42.CrossRef

10.

Brand, A. E., & Brinich, P. M. (1999). Behavior problems and mental health contacts in adopted, foster, and nonadopted children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40(8), 1221–1229.CrossRefPubMed

11.

Newton, R. R., Litrownik, A. J., & Landsverk, J. A. (2000). Children and youth in foster care: Disentangling the relationship between problem behaviors and number of placements. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(10), 1363–1374.CrossRefPubMed

12.

Triseliotis, J., Borland, M., & Hill, M. (2000). Delivering fostering care. London, England: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.

13.

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2011a). Fact sheet: Child welfare services—July 2011. Retrieved from LACDCFS website: http://www.lacdcfs.org/aboutus/fact_sheet/DRS/July2011/Fact_Sheet.htm.

14.

Kerman, B., Wildfire, J., & Barth, R. P. (2002). Outcomes for young adults who experienced foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 24(5), 319–344.CrossRef

15.

Administration for Children & Families. (2010). The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2009 estimates as of July 2010 (17). Retrieved from Administration for Children & Families website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report17.htm.

16.

California Child Welfare Performance Indicators Project. (2011). California child welfare services reports [data file]. Retrieved from UC Berkeley Center for Social Services Research website: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare.

17.

Triseliotis, J. (2002). Long-term foster care or adoption? The evidence examined. Child & Family Social Work, 7(1), 23–33.CrossRef

18.

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2011b). A guide to permanency options for youth. Retrieved from LACDCFS website: http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us/Permanency/documents/Permanency%20Option%20For%20Youth%20Print.pdf.

19.

Winokur, M., Holtan, A., & Valentine, D. (2009). Kinship care for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children removed from the home for maltreatment. UK: Cochrane Library.CrossRef

20.

Bass, S., Shields, M. K., & Behrman, R. E. (2004). Children, families, and foster care: Analysis and recommendations. Future of Children, 14(1), 5–29.CrossRef

21.

California Legislative Analyst’s Office. (2011). Overview on foster care group homes. Retrieved from Legislative Analyst’s Office website: http://www.lao.ca.gov/handouts/socservices/2011/Foster_care_06_28_11.pdf.

22.

Administration for Children, Youth and Families. (2001). National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW): One year in foster care: Wave 1 data analysis report. Washington, DC: United States Department of Health and Human Services.

23.

Altshuler, S. J., & Poertner, J. (2002). The child health and illness profile—adolescent edition: Assessing well-being in group homes or institutions. Child Welfare, 81(3), 495–513.PubMed

24.

Courtney, M. E. (1994). Factors associated with entrance into group care. In R. P. Barth, J. D. Berrick, & N. Gilbert (Eds.), Child welfare research review (Vol. 1, pp. 185–204). New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

25.

Farruggia, S. P., & Sorkin, D. H. (2009). Health risks for older US adolescents in foster care: The significance of important others’ health behaviours on youths’ health and health behaviours. Child: Care, Health and Development, 35(3), 340–348.CrossRef

26.

Williamson, D. F., Thompson, T. J., Anda, R. F., Dietz, W. H., & Felitti, V. (2002). Body weight and obesity in adults and self-reported abuse in childhood. International Journal of Obesity, 26(8), 1075–1082.CrossRefPubMed

27.

Middlebrooks, J. S., & Audage, N. C. (2008). The effects of childhood stress on health across the lifespan. Retrieved from CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/pdf/childhood_stress.pdf.

28.

Hansen, R. L., Mawjee, F. L., Barton, K., Metcalf, M. B., & Joye, N. R. (2004). Comparing the health status of low-income children in and out of foster care. Child Welfare, 83(4), 367–380.PubMed

29.

Jee, S. H., Barth, R. P., Szilagyi, M. A., Szilagyi, P. G., Aida, M., & Davis, M. M. (2006). Factors associated with chronic conditions among children in foster care. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 17(2), 328–341.CrossRefPubMed

30.

Story, R. E. (2007). Asthma and obesity in children. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 19(6), 680–684.CrossRefPubMed

31.

Storey, M. L., Forshee, R. A., Weaver, A. R., & Sansalone, W. R. (2003). Demographic and lifestyle factors associated with body mass index among children and adolescents. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 54(6), 491–503.CrossRefPubMed

32.

Taveras, E. M., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Belfort, M. B., Kleinman, K. P., Oken, E., & Gillman, M. W. (2009). Weight status in the first 6 months of life and obesity at 3 years of age. Pediatrics, 123(4), 1177–1183.CrossRefPubMed

33.

Danielson, C., & Lee, H. (2010). Foster care in California: Achievements and challenges. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California.

34.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). About BMI for children and teens. Retrieved from CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html.

35.

Schneiderman, J. U., Arnold-Clark, J. S., Smith, C., Fuentes, J., & Duan, L. (2012). Weight changes in overweight and obesity in children in foster care for one year. Manuscript submitted for publication.

36.

Collier, K. A. (2008). Note and comment: Love v. love handles: Should obese people be precluded from adopting a child based solely upon their weight? Texas Wesleyan Law Review, 15(31).

37.

Puhl, R. M., & Latner, J. D. (2007). Stigma, obesity, and the health of the nation’s children. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 557–580.CrossRefPubMed

38.

Leadership for Healthy Communities. (2010). Overweight and obesity among Latino youths. Retrieved from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website: http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/20100512lhclatino.pdf.

39.

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., Lamb, M. M., & Flegal, K. M. (2010). Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007–2008. Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(3), 242–249.CrossRefPubMed

40.

Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., & French, S. (2006). The role of schools in obesity prevention. Future of Children, 16(1), 109–142.CrossRefPubMed

41.

Sharma, M. (2006). School-based interventions for childhood and adolescent obesity. Obesity, 7(3), 261–269.CrossRef

42.

Berliner, L., & Fine, D. (2001). Children in long-term foster care in Washington: Preliminary findings. Retrieved from Washington State Institute for Public Policy website: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/01-02-3901.pdf.

43.

Dockray, S., Susman, E. J., & Dorn, L. D. (2009). Depression, cortisol reactivity, and obesity in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 344–350.CrossRefPubMed

44.

Ebbeling, C. B., Pawlak, D. B., & Ludwig, D. S. (2002). Childhood obesity: Public-health crisis, common sense cure. Lancet, 360(9331), 473–482.CrossRefPubMed

45.

Hillman, J. B., Dorn, L. D., & Huang, B. (2010). Association of anxiety and depressive symptoms and adiposity among adolescent females, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Clinical Pediatrics, 49(7), 671–677.CrossRefPubMed

46.

Zito, J. M., Safer, D. J., Sai, D., Gardner, J. F., Thomas, D., Coombes, P., et al. (2008). Psychotropic medication patterns among youth in foster care. Pediatrics, 121(1), e157–e163.CrossRefPubMed

47.

Correll, C. U., & Carlson, H. E. (2006). Endocrine and metabolic adverse effects of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(7), 771–791.CrossRefPubMed

48.

Kelly, D. L., Conley, R. R., Love, R. C., Horn, D. S., & Ushchak, C. M. (1998). Weight gain in adolescents treated with risperidone and conventional antipsychotics over six months. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 8(3), 151–159.CrossRefPubMed

49.

Raghavan, R., Zima, B. T., Andersen, R. M., Leibowitz, A. A., Schuster, M. A., & Landsverk, J. (2005). Psychotropic medication use in a national probability sample of children in the child welfare system. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 15(1), 97–106.CrossRefPubMed

50.

Zima, B. T., Bussing, R., Crecelius, G. M., Kaufman, A., & Belin, T. R. (1999). Psychotropic medication treatment patterns among school-aged children in foster care. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 9(3), 135–147.CrossRefPubMed

51.

Barth, R. P. (2002). Institutions versus foster homes: The empirical base for a century of action. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina, School of Social Work, Jordan Institute for Families.

52.

Skelton, J. A., Cook, S. R., Auinger, P., Klein, J. D., & Barlow, S. E. (2009). Prevalence and trends of severe obesity among US children and adolescents. Academic Pediatrics, 9(5), 322–329.CrossRefPubMed

53.

Whitlock, E. P., Williams, S. B., Gold, R., Smith, P. R., & Shipman, S. A. (2005). Screening and interventions for childhood overweight: A summary of evidence for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Pediatrics, 116(1), e125–e144.CrossRefPubMed

54.

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-351, § 122 Stat. 3949. (2008).

55.

World Health Organization. (2000). Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic (WHO Technical Report Series 894). Retrieved from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_894.pdf.

56.

Wright, C. M., Parker, L., Lamont, D., & Craft, A. W. (2001). Implications of childhood obesity for adult health: Findings from thousand families cohort study. BMJ, 323(7324), 1280–1284. Retrieved from: http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_510CDR.pdf.

Title: Demographic and Placement Variables Associated with Overweight and Obesity in Children in Long-Term Foster Care
Authors: Janet U. Schneiderman
Janet S. Arnold-Clark
Caitlin Smith
Lei Duan
Jorge Fuentes
Publication date: 01-11-2013
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 9/2013
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1181-x

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Demographic and Placement Variables Associated with Overweight and Obesity in Children in Long-Term Foster Care

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 9/2013

Receipt of Preventive Oral Health Care by U.S. Children: A Population-Based Study of the 2005–2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys

Factors Associated with a Patient-Centered Medical Home Among Children with Behavioral Health Conditions

Blended Learning: Strengths, Challenges, and Lessons Learned in an Interprofessional Training Program

Rates and Predictors of Postpartum Depression by Race and Ethnicity: Results from the 2004 to 2007 New York City PRAMS Survey (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System)

Unintentional Injury in Early Childhood: Its Relationship with Childcare Setting and Provider

The Burden of Maternal Health Care Expenditure in India: Multilevel Analysis of National Data