Table 1. Children's BMI and obesity and the distribution of explanatory factors by race/ethnicity: UK.
| White (n=15 003) | Indian (n=518) | Pakistani (n=926) | Bangladeshi (n=376) | Black Caribbean (n=487) | Black African (n=459) | Other (n=511) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child characteristics | |||||||
| BMI, mean (s.e.) | 16.4 (0.02) | 15.7 (0.12) | 16.0 (0.09) | 16.3 (0.19) | 16.9 (0.17) | 16.9 (0.15) | 16.1 (0.11) |
| Obesity, % | 5.5 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 10.7 | 11.4 | 11.1 | 6.2 |
| Age in months (s.e.) | 62.5 (0.05) | 62.7 (0.18) | 62.5 (0.13) | 62.7 (0.22) | 62.5 (0.18) | 62.6 (0.17) | 62.6 (0.20) |
| Child is male | 51.5 | 52.8 | 49.6 | 48.5 | 53.6 | 50.6 | 48.8 |
| Sociodemographic factors | |||||||
| Equivalized household income | |||||||
| Lowest quintile | 16.4 | 15.5 | 48.1 | 57.4 | 37.2 | 40.4 | 25.7 |
| Second quintile | 18.8 | 24.4 | 33.3 | 26.8 | 23.2 | 20.2 | 21.2 |
| Third quintile | 21.0 | 18.8 | 11.2 | 8.5 | 17.5 | 14.5 | 14.9 |
| Fourth quintile | 21.6 | 21.1 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 21.5 |
| Highest quintile | 22.2 | 20.2 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 11.0 | 13.4 | 16.7 |
| Education | |||||||
| Less than O level | 10.4 | 10.4 | 27.2 | 32.6 | 15.4 | 19.1 | 17.0 |
| O level | 24.2 | 13.0 | 21.1 | 23.2 | 26.0 | 11.5 | 9.6 |
| A level | 16.1 | 11.3 | 12.9 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 9.3 | 12.1 |
| Degree or higher | 48.2 | 61.1 | 28.0 | 20.1 | 42.4 | 51.1 | 56.6 |
| Other qualifications | 1.1 | 4.1 | 10.8 | 12.1 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 4.6 |
| Single parent | 18.3 | 8.7 | 13.9 | 5.8 | 47.8 | 41.9 | 21.8 |
| Mother's employment | |||||||
| Full-time | 18.3 | 25.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 24.7 | 29.5 | 25.7 |
| Part-time | 42.6 | 35.1 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 26.7 | 14.6 | 25.1 |
| Not working | 38.3 | 38.6 | 82.9 | 84.5 | 45.9 | 54.7 | 49.1 |
| No mother in household | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Cultural factors | |||||||
| Language spoken at home is primarily English | 98.8 | 62.5 | 41.4 | 18.7 | 98.8 | 69.5 | 70.5 |
| Migrant generation | |||||||
| First generation | 4.6 | 49.4 | 58.5 | 89.7 | 13.0 | 65.6 | 58.2 |
| Second generation | 1.6 | 42.0 | 36.6 | 7.5 | 34.4 | 16.7 | 8.9 |
| Third generation | 93.8 | 8.6 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 52.7 | 17.8 | 32.9 |
| Family routines | |||||||
| Always/usually has regular bedtimes | 91.3 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 81.0 | 79.5 | 86.5 |
| Bedtime on weekdays | |||||||
| None given | 4.3 | 4.2 | 7.2 | 3.6 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 6.4 |
| Before 1930 h | 26.8 | 11.3 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 14.3 | 10.9 | 13.3 |
| 1930–1959 h | 33.9 | 16.9 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 26.9 | 14.3 | 21.1 |
| 2000–2029 h | 23.7 | 30.2 | 28.6 | 19.7 | 29.5 | 27.0 | 26.0 |
| 2030–2059 h | 7.4 | 18.8 | 19.4 | 22.4 | 10.6 | 21.5 | 16.7 |
| 2100 h or later | 3.9 | 18.6 | 31.7 | 46.4 | 10.5 | 16.8 | 16.4 |
| Nutrition | |||||||
| How many portions of fruit per day | |||||||
| None | 3.9 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| One | 14.3 | 25.2 | 28.8 | 35.1 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 21.6 |
| Two | 26.6 | 30.3 | 34.7 | 31.3 | 31.6 | 33.3 | 27.7 |
| Three or more | 55.2 | 40.1 | 31.0 | 22.6 | 43.9 | 43.3 | 47.6 |
| Mother's BMI, mean (s.e.) | 25.3 (0.07) | 24.3 (0.23) | 25.7 (0.23) | 25.4 (0.32) | 25.9 (0.29) | 27.7 (0.38) | 24.6 (0.26) |
Abbreviations: A level, advanced level; BMI, body mass index; MCS, Millennium Cohort Study; O level, ordinary level. Figures are percentages that are weighted with overall weights from MCS 1. Sample sizes are unweighted.