Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling

Huang, Hui; Wan Mohamed Radzi, Che Wan Jasimah bt; Salarzadeh Jenatabadi, Hashem

doi:10.3390/ijerph14020181

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Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling

Hui Huang

Che Wan Jasimah bt Wan Mohamed Radzi

and

Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi

Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020181

Received: 3 July 2016 / Revised: 24 January 2017 / Accepted: 25 January 2017 / Published: 13 February 2017

(This article belongs to the Section Global Health)

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Abstract

The main purpose of the current article is to introduce a framework of the complexity of childhood obesity based on the family environment. A conceptual model that quantifies the relationships and interactions among parental socioeconomic status, family food security level, child’s food intake and certain aspects of parental feeding behaviour is presented using the structural equation modeling (SEM) concept. Structural models are analysed in terms of the direct and indirect connections among latent and measurement variables that lead to the child weight indicator. To illustrate the accuracy, fit, reliability and validity of the introduced framework, real data collected from 630 families from Urumqi (Xinjiang, China) were considered. The framework includes two categories of data comprising the normal body mass index (BMI) range and obesity data. The comparison analysis between two models provides some evidence that in obesity modeling, obesity data must be extracted from the dataset and analysis must be done separately from the normal BMI range. This study may be helpful for researchers interested in childhood obesity modeling based on family environment. View Full-Text

Keywords: family food security level; childhood obesity; public health; child’s environment; household environment; structural equation modeling

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Huang, H.; Wan Mohamed Radzi, C.W.J.b.; Salarzadeh Jenatabadi, H. Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020181

AMA Style

Huang H, Wan Mohamed Radzi CWJb, Salarzadeh Jenatabadi H. Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(2):181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020181

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huang, Hui, Che W.J.b. Wan Mohamed Radzi, and Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi. 2017. "Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 2: 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020181

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Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling

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