Article Open Access February 13, 2025

Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences

Shervin Assari 1, 2, 3, 4,* and Hossein Zare 5, 6
1
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
2
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
3
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
4
Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
5
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
6
School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), Adelphi, MD, United States
Page(s): 34-49
Received
November 26, 2024
Revised
January 06, 2025
Accepted
February 09, 2025
Published
February 13, 2025
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Scientific Publications
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APA Style
Assari, S. , & Zare, H. (2025). Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences. Current Research in Public Health, 4(1), 34-49. https://doi.org/10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Zare, H. Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences. Current Research in Public Health 2025 4(1), 34-49. https://doi.org/10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, and Hossein Zare. 2025. "Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences". Current Research in Public Health 4, no. 1: 34-49. https://doi.org/10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
AMA Style
Assari S, Zare H. Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences. Current Research in Public Health. 2025; 4(1):34-49. https://doi.org/10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
@Article{crph1180,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Zare, Hossein},
TITLE = {Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {4},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {34-49},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/GJCD/article/view/1180},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180},
ABSTRACT = {Objective: To examine racial/ethnic differences in the associations of family socioeconomic status (SES), neighborhood SES, and inhibitory control with body mass index (BMI) in 9-10-year-old children using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a diverse sample of children aged 9-10 years, representing non-Latino White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Other racial/ethnic groups. BMI was the primary outcome. Key predictors were family SES, neighborhood SES, and inhibitory control. Multivariable regression models were stratified by race/ethnicity to identify group-specific associations. Results: Race/ethnic groups differed in psychosocial correlates of childhood BMI at age 9 and 10. Among non-Latino White children, higher family income (B = -0.086, p < 0.001), higher parental education (B = -0.069, p < 0.001), and living in a married household (B = -0.079, p < 0.001) were associated with lower BMI. Additionally, the presence of healthy food options in the zip code (B = -0.030, p = 0.032) was linked to lower BMI, while lack of planning (B = 0.032, p = 0.030) was associated with higher BMI. For non-Latino Black children, positive urgency (B = -0.068, p = 0.022) was negatively associated with BMI, while other factors such as family SES and neighborhood SES did not show significant associations. For Latino children, higher family income (B = -0.093, p = 0.001) and parental education (B = -0.099, p < 0.001) were associated with lower BMI. In this group, male gender (B = 0.043, p = 0.033) was associated with higher BMI. Among Asian children, higher family income (B = -0.199, p = 0.006) and parental education (B = -0.144, p = 0.037) were significantly associated with lower BMI. For children in the "Other" racial/ethnic category, higher family income (B = -0.101, p = 0.023), living in a married household (B = -0.076, p = 0.026), and higher median income in the zip code (B = -0.083, p = 0.013) were associated with lower BMI. In this group, male children had lower BMI compared to females (B = -0.089, p = 0.001). Conclusion: The findings highlight substantial racial/ethnic differences in the psychosocial and socioeconomic correlates of BMI in children. There is a need for tailored interventions that target social determinants of childhood high BMI. One size does not fit all.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Zare, Hossein
%D 2025
%J Current Research in Public Health

%@ 2831-5162
%V 4
%N 1
%P 34-49

%T Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences
%M doi:10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/GJCD/article/view/1180
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Zare, Hossein
TI  - Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
PY  - 2025
VL  - 4
IS  - 1
SN  - 2831-5162
SP  - 34
EP  - 49
UR  - https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/GJCD/article/view/1180
AB  - Objective: To examine racial/ethnic differences in the associations of family socioeconomic status (SES), neighborhood SES, and inhibitory control with body mass index (BMI) in 9-10-year-old children using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a diverse sample of children aged 9-10 years, representing non-Latino White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Other racial/ethnic groups. BMI was the primary outcome. Key predictors were family SES, neighborhood SES, and inhibitory control. Multivariable regression models were stratified by race/ethnicity to identify group-specific associations. Results: Race/ethnic groups differed in psychosocial correlates of childhood BMI at age 9 and 10. Among non-Latino White children, higher family income (B = -0.086, p < 0.001), higher parental education (B = -0.069, p < 0.001), and living in a married household (B = -0.079, p < 0.001) were associated with lower BMI. Additionally, the presence of healthy food options in the zip code (B = -0.030, p = 0.032) was linked to lower BMI, while lack of planning (B = 0.032, p = 0.030) was associated with higher BMI. For non-Latino Black children, positive urgency (B = -0.068, p = 0.022) was negatively associated with BMI, while other factors such as family SES and neighborhood SES did not show significant associations. For Latino children, higher family income (B = -0.093, p = 0.001) and parental education (B = -0.099, p < 0.001) were associated with lower BMI. In this group, male gender (B = 0.043, p = 0.033) was associated with higher BMI. Among Asian children, higher family income (B = -0.199, p = 0.006) and parental education (B = -0.144, p = 0.037) were significantly associated with lower BMI. For children in the "Other" racial/ethnic category, higher family income (B = -0.101, p = 0.023), living in a married household (B = -0.076, p = 0.026), and higher median income in the zip code (B = -0.083, p = 0.013) were associated with lower BMI. In this group, male children had lower BMI compared to females (B = -0.089, p = 0.001). Conclusion: The findings highlight substantial racial/ethnic differences in the psychosocial and socioeconomic correlates of BMI in children. There is a need for tailored interventions that target social determinants of childhood high BMI. One size does not fit all.
DO  - Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Body Mass Index: Racial and Ethnic Differences
TI  - 10.31586/gjcd.2025.1180
ER  -