Rachel S Gross1, Alan L Mendelsohn2, Michelle B Gross3, Roberta Scheinmann4, Mary Jo Messito3. 1. Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY. Electronic address: rgross@montefiore.org. 2. Division of Developmental - Behavioral Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY. 3. Division of General Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY. 4. Research and Evaluation Unit, Public Health Solutions, New York, NY.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the relations between household material hardships and having a low internal locus of control over the prevention of child obesity in low-income Hispanic pregnant women. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected during a third trimester prenatal visit from women participating in the Starting Early Study, a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a primary care-based family-centered early child obesity prevention intervention. Using multiple logistic regression analyses, we determined whether 4 domains of material hardship (food insecurity, difficulty paying bills, housing disrepair, neighborhood stress), considered individually and also cumulatively, were associated with having a low internal locus of control over the prevention of child obesity. RESULTS: The sample included 559 low-income Hispanic pregnant women, with 60% having experienced at least 1 hardship. Food insecurity was independently associated with a low internal locus of control over the prevention of child obesity (adjusted odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-3.77), controlling for other hardships and confounders. Experiencing a greater number of material hardships was associated in a dose-dependent relationship with an increased odds of having a low internal locus of control. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal material hardships, in particular food insecurity, were associated with having a lower prenatal internal locus of control over the prevention of child obesity. Longitudinal follow-up of this cohort is needed to determine how relations between material hardships and having a low internal locus of control will ultimately affect infant feeding practices and child weight trajectories.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the relations between household material hardships and having a low internal locus of control over the prevention of childobesity in low-income Hispanic pregnant women. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected during a third trimester prenatal visit from women participating in the Starting Early Study, a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a primary care-based family-centered early childobesity prevention intervention. Using multiple logistic regression analyses, we determined whether 4 domains of material hardship (food insecurity, difficulty paying bills, housing disrepair, neighborhood stress), considered individually and also cumulatively, were associated with having a low internal locus of control over the prevention of childobesity. RESULTS: The sample included 559 low-income Hispanic pregnant women, with 60% having experienced at least 1 hardship. Food insecurity was independently associated with a low internal locus of control over the prevention of childobesity (adjusted odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-3.77), controlling for other hardships and confounders. Experiencing a greater number of material hardships was associated in a dose-dependent relationship with an increased odds of having a low internal locus of control. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal material hardships, in particular food insecurity, were associated with having a lower prenatal internal locus of control over the prevention of childobesity. Longitudinal follow-up of this cohort is needed to determine how relations between material hardships and having a low internal locus of control will ultimately affect infant feeding practices and child weight trajectories.
Authors: Deborah A Frank; Patrick H Casey; Maureen M Black; Ruth Rose-Jacobs; Mariana Chilton; Diana Cutts; Elizabeth March; Timothy Heeren; Sharon Coleman; Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba; John T Cook Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2010-04-12 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Rachel S Gross; Alan L Mendelsohn; Arthur H Fierman; Andrew D Racine; Mary Jo Messito Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2012-07-23 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Diana Becker Cutts; Alan F Meyers; Maureen M Black; Patrick H Casey; Mariana Chilton; John T Cook; Joni Geppert; Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba; Timothy Heeren; Sharon Coleman; Ruth Rose-Jacobs; Deborah A Frank Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2011-06-16 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Rachel S Gross; Alan L Mendelsohn; Michelle B Gross; Roberta Scheinmann; Mary Jo Messito Journal: J Pediatr Date: 2016-04-21 Impact factor: 4.406
Authors: Carol Duh-Leong; Mary Jo Messito; Michelle W Katzow; Suzy Tomopoulos; Nikita Nagpal; Arthur H Fierman; Rachel S Gross Journal: Acad Pediatr Date: 2020-07-07 Impact factor: 2.993