Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T21:00:13.471Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

GROWING UP IN PORTUGAL: CAPE VERDEAN ANCESTRY CHILDREN EXHIBIT LOW OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY COMPARED WITH PORTUGUESE IN URBAN LISBON

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2016

A. L. André ,
C. Padez ,
V. Rosado-Marques ,
P. L. Griffiths  and
M. I. Varela-Silva
A. L. André*
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Health and School of Sport, Exercise and Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
C. Padez
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
V. Rosado-Marques
Affiliation:
Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
P. L. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Health and School of Sport, Exercise and Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
M. I. Varela-Silva
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Health and School of Sport, Exercise and Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Portugal has one of the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. However, little is known about the health of ethnic minorities living in its capital city, Lisbon. The Cape Verdean community in Lisbon tend to have low educational levels, material deprivation and struggle with discrimination and racism, factors that would probably be associated with a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. Data for the Cape Verdean population were collected in three different time periods by three different research teams in 1993, 2009 and 2013 and included children aged 6–12 years living in the Cova da Moura neighbourhood of the Greater Lisbon Metro Area. The Portuguese national survey was conducted between 2009 and 2010 at public and private schools in mainland Portugal and included height, weight, skinfolds and arm and waist circumferences. From these survey data body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of stunting (chronic malnutrition – low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age) were calculated according to reference values proposed by Frisancho (2008). Overweight and obesity prevalence values were defined based on the references established by the International Obesity Task Force. The results show significant differences in height between Cape Verdean and Portuguese boys and girls. Generally, Cape Verdeans’ growth falls within the healthy range of international growth references across all of the survey data collected. Cape Verdean rates for combined overnutrition (overweight and obesity) in 2013 (9.8% for boys and 16.7% for girls) were lower than those of the Portuguese (33% for boys and 31.7% for girls). Logistic regression models showed that Cape Verdean children had a lower risk of being overweight or obese when accounting for breast-feeding, birth weight, maternal education and occupation. Despite living in a deprived neighbourhood these Cape Verdean children seemed to have grown more healthily than Portuguese ancestry children. The challenge for policymakers will be to support improvement of the poverty-related living conditions of this community without creating a risky environment for increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 49 , Issue 6 , November 2017 , pp. 842 - 857
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrahams, Z., McHiza, Z. & Steyn, N. P. (2011) Diet and mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa: stages in the nutrition transition. BMC Public Health 11(1), 801.Google Scholar
Abreu, P. J. A. (2011) Transição de saúde e nutrição na era da globalização e da urbanização: avaliação do perfil antropométrico de crianças e adolescentes escolares e percepções das alterações alimentares dos respectivos encarregados de educação Ilha do Fogo Cabo Verde. Masters Dissertation, Nova University of Lisbon.Google Scholar
Associação Cultural Moinho da Juventude (2012) Relatório de Atividades Moinho 2012. Lisbon.Google Scholar
Bingham, D., Varela-Silva, M., Ferrão, M., Gama, A., Mourao, I., Nogueira, H. et al. (2013) Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children. American Journal of Human Biology 25(6), 733–742.Google Scholar
Bogin, B. (2012) The Maya in Disneyland: child growth as a marker of nutritional, economic, and political ecology. In Dufour, D. L., Goodman, A. H. & Pelto, G. H. (eds) Nutritional Anthropology: Biocultural Perspectives on Food and Nutrition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. pp. 231–244.Google Scholar
Bosu, W. K. (2014) An overview of the nutrition transition in West Africa: implications for non-communicable diseases. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 74(4), 466–477.Google Scholar
Buron, A., Cots, F., Garcia, O., Vall, O. & Castells, X. (2008) Hospital emergency department utilisation rates among the immigrant population in Barcelona, Spain. BMC Health Services Research 8(1), 51.Google Scholar
Carvalhal, M. M., Padez, M. C., Moreira, P. A. & Rosado, V. M. (2007) Overweight and obesity related to activities in Portuguese children, 7–9 years. European Journal of Public Health 17(1), 42–46.Google Scholar
Cole, T. J. T., Bellizzi, M. C. M., Flegal, K. M. K. & Dietz, W. H. W. (2000) Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. British Medical Journal 320, 1040.Google Scholar
de Onis, M., Onyango, A. W., Borghi, E., Siyam, A., Nishidaa, C. & Siekmann, J. (2007) Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents children and adolescents. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 85(9), 649–732.Google Scholar
DesMeules, M., Gold, J., Kazanjian, A., Manuel, D., Payne, J., Vissandjee, B., McDermott, S. & Mao, Y. (2004) New approaches to immigrant health assessment. Canadian Journal of Public Health 95(3), 1–22.Google Scholar
Frisancho, A. R. (1990) Anthropometric Standards for the Assessment of Growth and Nutritional Status. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Frisancho, A. R. (2008) Anthropometric Standards: An Interactive Nutritional Reference of Body Size and Body Composition for Children and Adults. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Gama, M. A. A. (1993) Estatura e peso crianças Portuguesas e Caboverdianas de uma escola suburbana de Lisboa. Postgraduate Dissertation, University of Lisbon.Google Scholar
Gama, M. A. A. (2002) Estatura e peso de crianças Portuguesas e Caboverdianas. Garcia de Orta, Série de Antropobiologia 10(1–2), 27–42.Google Scholar
Garcia-Gomez, P. & Oliva, J. (2009) Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en poblacion inmigrante en edad productiva. Gaceta Sanitaria 23 (Supplement 1), 38–46.Google Scholar
Garcia-Ruiz, C. & Marrodán, M. (2000) Crecimiento y migración:análisis de la población africana y portuguesa en Buraca (Lisboa). In Caro Dobón, L., Rodriguez Otero, H., Sánchez Compadre, E., López Martínez, B. & Blanco, M. J. (eds) Tendencias actuales de Investigación en la Antropología Física Española. Secretariado de Publicaciones. University of León, Spain. ISBN 84-7719-861-6, pp. 667–674.Google Scholar
Harding, S., Boroujerdi, M., Santana, P. & Cruickshank, J. (2006) Decline in, and lack of difference between, average birth weights among African and Portuguese babies in Portugal. International Journal of Epidemiology 35(2), 270–276.Google Scholar
Harding, S., Teyhan, A., Rosato, M. & Santana, P. (2008) All cause and cardiovascular mortality in African migrants living in Portugal: evidence of large social inequalities. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation 15(6), 670–676.Google Scholar
Hui, L. & Bell, A. C. (2003) Overweight and obesity in children from Shenzhen, Peoples Republic of China. Health & Place 9(4), 371–376.Google Scholar
INE (2002) Censos 2001 Resultados definitivos Centro. Instituto Nacional de Estatística. URL: http://censos.ine.pt/ (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
INE (2011) Censos 2011 – Resultados Preliminares. URL: http://censos.ine.pt/ Instituto Nacional de Estatística (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
Lohman, T. R., Roche, A. F. & Martorell, R. (eds) (1988) Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual. Human Kinetics Books, Champaign, IL.Google Scholar
Martorell, R. & Zongrone, A. (2012) Intergenerational influences on child growth and undernutrition. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 26 (Supplement 1), 302–314.Google Scholar
Ministério da Saúde de Cabo Verde (2009) Inquérito sobre Prevalência da Anemia e Factores Associados em Crianças Menores de 10 anos – IPAC. DSSA/MSaude/ INE, Cabo Verde.Google Scholar
Moore, L., Gao, D. & Bradlee, M. (2003) Does early physical activity predict body fat change throughout childhood? Preventive Medicine 37(1), 10–17.Google Scholar
Nogueira, H. & Santana, P. (2005) Geographies of health and deprivation: relationship between them. In Palagiano, C. & De Santis, G. (eds) Atti dell’ VIII Seminario Internazionale do Geografia Medica. Perugia, Rome, pp. 539–546.Google Scholar
OECD (2009) OECD Breastfeeding Rates. OECD Social Policy Division, Directorate of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. URL: https://www.oecd.org/els/family/43136964 (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
OECD (2011) Health at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2011-en (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
Padez, C., Fernandes, T., Mourão, I., Moreira, P. & Rosado, V. (2004) Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 7–9-year-old Portuguese children: trends in body mass index from 1970–2002. American Journal of Human Biology 16(6), 670–678.Google Scholar
Padez, C., Mourao, I., Moreira, P. & Rosado, V. (2009) Long sleep duration and childhood overweight/obesity and body fat. American Journal of Human Biology 21(3), 371–376.Google Scholar
Padez, C., Mourão, I., Moreira, P. & Rosado, V. (2005) Prevalence and risk factors for overweight and obesity in Portuguese children. Acta Paediatrica 94(11), 1550–1557.Google Scholar
Pradeilles, R., Griffiths, P. L., Norris, S. A., Feeley, A. B. & Rousham, E. K. (2015) Socio-economic influences on anthropometric status in urban South African adolescents: sex differences in the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort. Public Health Nutrition 18(16), 2998–3012.Google Scholar
Rito, A., Wijnhoven, T. M. A., Rutter, H., Carvalho, M. A., Paixão, E., Ramos, C. et al. (2012) Prevalence of obesity among Portuguese children (6–8 years old) using three definition criteria: COSI Portugal, 2008. Pediatric Obesity 7(6), 413–422.Google Scholar
Ronellenfitsch, U. & Razum, O. (2004) Deteriorating health satisfaction among immigrants from Eastern Europe to Germany. International Journal for Equity in Health 3(1), 4–13.Google Scholar
Smith, P., Bogin, B., Varela-Silva, M., Orden, B. & Loucky, J. (2002) Does immigration help or harm children’s health? The Mayan case. Social Science Quarterly 83(4), 994–1002.Google Scholar
Stinson, S. (1985) Sex differences in environmental sensitivity during growth and development. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 28, 123–147.Google Scholar
Ulijaszek, S. J. (2003) Trends in body size, diet and food availability in the Cook Islands in the second half of the 20th century. Economics & Human Biology 1(1), 123–137.Google Scholar
UNICEF (2015) The State of the World’s Children 2015: Executive Summary. URL: www.unicef.org/publications/index_77928.html (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
UNICEF & ICCA (2011) Análise de Situação da Criança e Adolescente em Cabo Verde. URL: www.un.cv/files/crianca2011.pdf (accessed June 2013).Google Scholar
Valente, H., Padez, C., Mourão, I., Rosado, V. & Moreira, P. (2010) Prevalência de inadequação nutricional em crianças portuguesas. Acta Médica Portuguesa 23, 365–370.Google Scholar
Varela-Silva, M. I. (2004) Crescimento e estilo de vida. Estudo de jovens e adolescentes portugueses Cabo-verdeanos portugueses e Cabo-verdianos. Doctoral Dissertation, Technical University of Lisbon.Google Scholar
Veiga, T. R., Moreira, M. J. G. & Fernandes, A. A. (2004) Social changes and better health conditions of the Portuguese Population 1974–2000. Hygiea Internationalis: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the History of Public Health 4(1), 255–276.Google Scholar
Wamani, H., Astrøm, A. N., Peterson, S., Tumwine, J. K. & Tylleskär, T. (2007) Boys are more stunted than girls in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-analysis of 16 demographic and health surveys. BMC Pediatrics 7(1), 17.Google Scholar
Wennberg, A. (1988) Anthropometric assessment of the nutritional status of preschool-age children in Cape Verde. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 66(3), 375–386.Google Scholar
Wijnhoven, T. M. A., Van Raaij, J. M. A., Spinelli, A., Rito, A I., Hovengen, R. & Kunesova, M. (2012) WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative 2008: weight, height and body mass index in 6–9-year-old children. Pediatric Obesity 8(2), 79–97.Google Scholar