Parental education as a determinant of obesity in children

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the influence of parental education on children’s health-related behaviours and obesity risk status using the data on children aged 7 years and their families living in Macedonia and participating in the 5th round of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative. Overall 31.6 % of the children were overweight and 15.3 % living with obesity, with little difference between genders. The results showed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among children whose parents had a medium level of education (36.1 %) with a small difference between low (34.3 %) and high level (32.4 %) of parental education. A high level of parental education was associated with “healthy” behaviours in children, who were more likely to eat daily breakfast, fresh fruit and vegetables, had less frequent consummation of soft drinks (less than three times a week), and were more likely to practice sport at least two hours a week compared to children whose parents had a low level of education. However, sedentary behaviour in children measured as at least two hours of screen time daily was more prevalent in children of parents with a high level of education. These findings indicate that parental education should be considered in population-based interventions design, although comprehensive research and approach are needed in evaluating the family environment to better address obesity drivers in children.