Racial and ethnic disparities in obesity and contributions of social determinants of health among boys with autism spectrum disorder

Frontiers in Pediatrics

Pediatrics

April Bowling¹  Misha Eliasziw²  Aviva Must²  Sandy Magaña³ 

[1] Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, Merrimack College, Andover, MA, United States;E.K. Shriver Center, UMASS Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States;Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States;Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States;

关键词: obesity;    weight status;    race;    ethnicity;    health disparities;    autism spectrum disorder;    social determinants of health;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fped.2023.1198073

 received in 2023-03-31, accepted in 2023-06-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at greater obesity risk compared to typically developing peers. Although many potential risk factors for this relationship have been identified, the causal chain must be better understood, particularly modifiable social determinants of obesity risk in ASD, and especially for children with ASD from minoritized racial/ethnic groups. We aimed to: (1) examine racial/ethnic disparities in obesity status in boys with ASD; (2) assess associations between social determinants of health and obesity status; and (3) understand if social determinants of health factors mediate the relationship between race/ethnicity and obesity status for these youth. We used data for 124 boys, aged 9–10 with ASD enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal study. Social determinants of health explored included socioeconomic position, Area Deprivation Index, neighborhood safety, food and housing insecurity, and racial/ethnic discrimination. The racial/ethnic distribution was: 17.1% Black, 14.6% Latino, and 68.3% White; average age was 10 years. Both Black (PR 2.57, 95% CI: 1.26–5.26) and Latino boys (PR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.08–4.03) with ASD were more likely to be obese than their White peers. While there were significant differences in some social determinants of health by race/ethnicity, only food insecurity mediated associations between race/ethnicity (Black vs. White) and obesity. The striking disparities in obesity and differences in social determinants of health between Black and Latino children with ASD compared to White children emphasize the need to identify factors that contribute to healthy weight among these children and to address these factors in practice.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© 2023 Magaña, Eliasziw, Bowling and Must.