Targeting the Home Food Environment for Obesity Prevention in Immigrant Ethnic Minorities

Immigrants from South Asian countries and Hispanic/Latino cultures represent the largest immigrant groups in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US), respectively, and are disproportionally affected by obesity. Parents influence their child’s risk for obesity in part by determining the home environment. However, examinations of the home food environment in parent-child dyads from ethnic minority, immigrant families are limited. We used data from a birth cohort in the UK (Born in Bradford 1000, BiB1000; n>1700; 47% Pakistani [predominately 1st and 2nd generation immigrant mothers], 38% White British, 14% Other), and a cross-sectional study of Hispanic/Latino 8- to 16-year-olds in the US (Study of Latino Youth, SOL Youth; n>1400). We examined: 1) ethnic/immigrant differences in home food availability (HFA) of snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; i.e., obesogenic items) and associations between obesogenic HFA and child’s obesogenic dietary intake and BMI in BiB1000, 2) longitudinal patterns of postpartum weight retention (PPWR) according to ethnic/immigrant group and associations of PPWR and obesogenic HFA in BiB1000, and 3) acculturation-related differences in food parenting practice use and associations between food parenting practices and obesogenic dietary intake in SOL Youth. Pakistani homes had greater obesogenic HFA, which was, irrespective of ethnic/immigrant group, associated with toddlers’ increased obesogenic dietary intake. Associations between obesogenic HFA and child’s BMI and mother’s PPWR were largely null. First generation Pakistani immigrants had a different longitudinal pattern of PPWR than White British mothers, and 2nd generation Pakistani immigrants retained more weight at each postpartum month than White British mothers. Hispanic/Latino parents who reported greater acculturative stress were more likely to use controlling food parenting practices. Parents who used controlling practices had increased odds of having children with high obesogenic dietary intake. Parents who pressured children to eat had increased odds of having 12- to 16-year-olds with high obesogenic dietary intake. Our findings provide novel insights into the importance of the physical and behavioral home food environment for obesity prevention in understudied ethnic minority groups. Future interventions may target the home food environment to prevent the intergenerational transmission of obesity in Pakistani and Hispanic/Latino parent-child dyads.Doctor of Philosoph