Author(s):
Wong, Beverly Wen-Xin ; Toh, Jia Ying ; Sugianto, Ray ; Chia, Airu ; Tint, Mya Thway ; Yuan, Wen Lun ; Padmapriya, Natarajan ; Lança, Carla ; Saw, Seang-Mei ; Lee, Yung Seng ; Shek, Lynette Pei-Chi ; Tan, Kok Hian ; Yap, Fabian ; Godfrey, Keith M. ; Chong, Yap-Seng ; Müller-Riemenschneider, Falk ; Eriksson, Johan G. ; Chan, Shiao-Yng ; Chong, Mary Foong-Fong
Date: 2021
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/14097
Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa
Subject(s): Childcare; Adiposity; Preschool; Children; Caregiver type; Asia
Description
Childcare arrangements shape behavioural patterns that influence the risk of childhood obesity. However, little is known of its influence on childhood obesity in Singapore. We aim to examine the associations between childcare arrangements at the age of 5 years and childhood adiposity at age 6 years. Children from the GUSTO study were grouped into three childcare arrangements at age 5: full-time center-based childcare (FC), partial center-based with parental care (PCP), and partial center-based with non-parents (grandparents and domestic helpers) as caregivers (PCN). Diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour information were collected at age 5, while anthropometric measurements were collected at age 6. Associations were analysed using multivariable regression models. Among 540 children, those in PCN had higher BMI z-scores (β: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.66), a greater sum of skinfold thicknesses (mm) (β: 3.75; 95% CI: 0.53, 6.97) and were 3.55 times (95% CI: 1.78, 7.05) more likely to be overweight/obese than those in FC. Adiposity measures in PCP children did not differ from those in FC. PCN children were reported to have more screen time and greater fast-food intake. Children in PCN tended to have higher adiposity measures. Greater engagement of non-parental caregivers should be considered in interventions targeting child obesity.
