Examining Hispanic Children's Body Composition and Health-Related Quality of Life

Background/Purpose: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a comprehensive and multidimensional construct that assesses individual’s physical, emotional, social, and school functioning (Ul-Haq et al., 2013; Varni & Limbers, 2007). Although numerous factors may influence individual’s HRQOL, litter research have been examined the relationship between body composition and HRQOL in Hispanic children (Ul-Haq et al., 2013). Further, many low-income Hispanic children do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines to promote their HRQOL (USDHHS, 2010). The major purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the relationships between body composition (waist circumference) and physical, emotional, social and school functioning of HRQOL in low-income Hispanic children.

Method: A cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Instruments were translated into Spanish based on strict back-translation procedures. Participants were 210 (M _age= 4.7 ± 0.5; 112 boys; 98 girls) low-income Hispanic children and their parents enrolled in ten preschool centers. The parents of low-income Hispanic children completed 23-item pediatric HRQOL inventory generic core scales with sufficient reliability and validity (PedsQL 4.0; Varni et al., 2001), including physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and school functioning. Children’s waist circumference (a measurement of the abdomen at a specific anatomical landmark) was assessed by a trained tester using Accufitness MyoTape body measuring tape.

Analysis/Results: The correlation analyses indicated that waist circumference was negative associated with physical, social, and school functioning of HRQOL in low-income Hispanic children (r = -.30, -.23, -.24, respectively; all p < 0.01). The physical, emotional, social, and school functioning were positively related to one another in this study. Further, the multiple regressions revealed that waist circumference was a significant negative predictor of children’s physical functioning (R² = 9.0 %; β = -.30, p < 0.01), social functioning (R² = 5.5 %; β = -.23, p < 0.01), and school functioning (R² = 5.6 %; β = -.24, p< 0.01).  

Conclusions: The results demonstrated that low-income Hispanic children with higher waist circumference have worse physical health, social interactions, and school achievements than children with lower waist circumference. These findings indicated health professionals need to consider low-income Hispanic children’s body composition when they plan to promote their HRQOL. Given the fact that regular physical activity reduce childhood obesity and is linked to improved HRQOL in children, this study may provide valuable insight for practitioners regarding how to promote Hispanic children’s HRQOL and develop effective interventions aimed at the prevention of childhood obesity.