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Immigrants Are Less Active Than U.S.-Born Kids
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A new study says that immigrant children in the U.S. get less exercise than American-born kids, and says the reasons include poverty and cultural emphases on academics.
30-Second Summary
Of the approximately 70,000 children studied, 65 percent of those who are immigrants got “regular physical activity,” versus 75 percent of American-born children.
The study’s authors theorize that foreign-born families place more emphasis on academics, and their socioeconomic status often means they lack the time and environment for activity, according to the Associated Press.
The differences were starker among individual groups. Only one-third of children whose parents were born in Spanish-speaking countries participated in organized sports, and more than 20 percent of that group weren’t active. One researcher, Northwestern University’s Mita Sanghavi Goel, said that Hispanics also have high rates of diabetes and obesity.
“That just highlights how important it is to intervene early and set healthy lifestyle patterns early on,” Goel told the AP.
Childhood obesity has received a great deal of attention in the last several years as Americans of all ages become more overweight. Another government study, though, shows childhood obesity rates have remained unchanged since 1999.
Obesity, and the related condition Type 2 diabetes, remain top concerns among public health officials.
The study’s authors theorize that foreign-born families place more emphasis on academics, and their socioeconomic status often means they lack the time and environment for activity, according to the Associated Press.
The differences were starker among individual groups. Only one-third of children whose parents were born in Spanish-speaking countries participated in organized sports, and more than 20 percent of that group weren’t active. One researcher, Northwestern University’s Mita Sanghavi Goel, said that Hispanics also have high rates of diabetes and obesity.
“That just highlights how important it is to intervene early and set healthy lifestyle patterns early on,” Goel told the AP.
Childhood obesity has received a great deal of attention in the last several years as Americans of all ages become more overweight. Another government study, though, shows childhood obesity rates have remained unchanged since 1999.
Obesity, and the related condition Type 2 diabetes, remain top concerns among public health officials.
Headline Link: ‘Immigrant kids exercise less than U.S.-born’
Although immigrant children watch less TV than their U.S.-born peers, according to the study, they also get less exercise. An earlier study suggested that immigrants aren’t as obese and overweight as people who spend their entire lives in the United States, but “that difference tends to wear off with longer exposure to U.S. culture, including junk food and television.”
Source: Newsday
Related Topics: Youth obesity leveling off; more exercise needed
Approximately one-third of children in America are overweight or obese, though the rates don’t seem to be increasing. The Center for Consumer Freedom said the findings show some are using alarmist tactics to justify government regulations.
Source: findingDulcinea
A recent study suggests that old recommendations for exercise frequency and intensity fall short for those trying to lose weight. Experts say that exercise must become “an integral part of your life” in order to be effective.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Study summary; obesity and diabetes guides
This study analyzed data taken from the National Survey of Children’s Health, a telephone survey conducted from 2003–2004, according to this summary.
Source: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
A lack of physical activity is one factor that contributes to obesity. Learn how obesity is treated in findingDulcinea’s Obesity Web Guide.
Source: findingDulcinea
Type 2 diabetes is a condition closely linked to obesity. Find out more about it and other types of diabetes in the findingDulcinea Diabetes Web Guide.
Source: findingDulcinea
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