Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar 20;10(3):e0118711.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118711. eCollection 2015.

Risk factors for obesity at age 3 in Alaskan children, including the role of beverage consumption: results from Alaska PRAMS 2005-2006 and its three-year follow-up survey, CUBS, 2008-2009

Janet M Wojcicki  1 , Margaret B Young  2 , Katherine A Perham-Hester  2 , Peter de Schweinitz  3 , Bradford D Gessner  4
Affiliations

Risk factors for obesity at age 3 in Alaskan children, including the role of beverage consumption: results from Alaska PRAMS 2005-2006 and its three-year follow-up survey, CUBS, 2008-2009

Janet M Wojcicki et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Prenatal and early life risk factors are associated with childhood obesity. Alaska Native children have one of the highest prevalences of childhood obesity of all US racial/ethnic groups.

Methods: Using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and the follow-up survey at 3 years of age (CUBS), we evaluated health, behavioral, lifestyle and nutritional variables in relation to obesity (95th percentile for body mass index (BMI)) at 3 years of age. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was conducted using Stata 12.0 to evaluate independent risk factors for obesity in non-Native and Alaska Native children.

Results: We found an obesity prevalence of 24.9% in all Alaskan and 42.2% in Alaska Native 3 year olds. Among Alaska Native children, obesity prevalence was highest in the Northern/Southwest part of the state (51.6%, 95%CI (42.6-60.5)). Independent predictive factors for obesity at age 3 years in Alaska non-Native children were low income (<$10,000 in the year before the child was born (OR 3.94, 95%CI 1.22--17.03) and maternal pre-pregnancy obesity (OR 2.01, 95%CI 1.01-4.01) and longer duration of breastfeeding was protective (OR 0.95, 95%CI 0.91-0.995). Among Alaska Native children, predictive factors were witnessing domestic violence/abuse as a 3 year-old (OR 2.28, 95%CI 1.17-7.60). Among obese Alaska Native children, there was an increased daily consumption of energy dense beverages in the Northern/Southwest region of the state, which may explain higher rates of obesity in this part of the state.

Conclusions: The high prevalence of obesity in Alaska Native children may be explained by differences in lifestyle patterns and food consumption in certain parts of the state, specifically the Northern/Southwest region, which have higher consumption of energy dense beverages.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of Obesity and Trends in Body Mass Index Among US Children and Adolescents, 1999–2010. JAMA 2012; 307(5): 483–490. doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.40 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson SE, Whitaker RC. Prevalence of obesity among US preschool children in different racial and ethnic groups. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2009. April; 163(3): 344–8. - PubMed
    1. Fenaughty AM, Fink K, Peck D, Utermohle CJ. Childhood Obesity in Alaska. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. March 2009. Available: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Documents/Obesity/pubs/Childhood_Obes.... Accessed: 2015 Feb 5.
    1. Boles M, Fenaughty AM, Fink KJ, Utermohle CJ. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among students in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, 2011–2012. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Chronicles, Volume 4, Issue 3, November 2012. Available: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Pages/Publications/assets/ChroniclesV.... Accessed: 2014 Feb 4.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) (2013): Obesity in K-7 Students, Anchorage, Alaska 2003–4 to 2010–11 School Years. May 31, 2013 / 62(21);426–430. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6221a4.htm. Accessed: 2015 Feb 5. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types