Australian children of parents born abroad in poorer countries are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to their counterparts from wealthier countries, a new study has found.
The research, from the Australian National University, examined the data of roughly 5,000 children aged between four and 11-years-old over a decade and found children of immigrants had higher rates of obesity at every age.
The study also found the gap between immigrant and Australian-born male children widened as they aged.
“The Australian statistics said one in five Australian children are overweight or obese, but when we look at Australian-immigrant children, it’s one in four children,” research author Tehzeeb Zulfiqar told SBS News.
First-generation immigrants from low and middle-income countries tend to have lower rates of obesity and better health than immigrants from wealthy countries when they arrive in Australia, but according to the study this advantage reverses within one generation.
Children of immigrants were also shown to eat more fruit and vegetables than Australian children.
The consumption of sugary beverages and fatty food was significant across all groups – but highest among children of immigrants. But Ms Zulfiqar said it’s not diet making children overweight or obese.
“The distinctive feature between these two groups was that the immigrant children from low or middle income countries were not as physically active,” she said.
“Their organised sport participation was low, and they had a higher preference for sedentary activities, so they were more likely to sit and watch television or play computer games.”
She suggested the low rates of participation in organised sport likely came down to a number of factors, including cost, increased concern for child safety and fears of racism and bullying.
Another concern is the lack of accessible and culturally specific public health information for families from countries where excess weight is viewed as a positive thing, according to the report.
“They come from places where children are malnourished and have these cultural practices where they want to feed the kids more because they think they will grow taller or perhaps they will be healthier,” Ms Zulfiqar said.
“There seems to be a gap between what is fairly known in the Australian community and what the immigrant population know.”
