Background: Grandparents are often the caretakers of children in Chinese American families. Studies have shown that Chinese grandparents underestimate the weight of their grandchildren and associate food with increased height and strength. This study examines the association of grandparental care with weight status in Chinese American children and adolescents.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 12,029 Chinese American pediatric patients ages 2-19 at a community health center in New York City in 2015. Grandparental care was defined as child care provided by at least one grandparent. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess for association between having a grandparent caretaker and weight status in the age groups 2-5, 6-11, and 12-19 while adjusting for sex, place of birth, neighborhood poverty, and two-parent households.
Results: Approximately 12% of Chinese American children in this population had a grandparent caretaker. Children and adolescents with grandparent caretakers are more likely to be overweight than their counterparts with no grandparent caretakers at ages 6-11 (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23-1.79) and ages 12-19 (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.18-2.02). No association was found between grandparental care and overweight in ages 2-5 nor with obesity in any age group.
Conclusions: Grandparental care is associated with the weight of school-age children and adolescents. Targeted education on appropriate nutrition for the child's age is needed for grandparents who take care of children.
Keywords: Asian American; Chinese American; grandparents; immigrant children; pediatric obesity.