Term of Award
Summer 2005
Degree Name
Master of Science
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Department
Department of Nursing
Committee Chair
Catherine Reavis
Committee Member 1
Kathy Thornton
Committee Member 2
T. Maria Smith
Abstract
Overweight is becoming more common than ever before in the United States and has been on the rise in the past decade. Overweight is a condition that is not confined to a particular race, age, gender, or socioeconomic group. Members of all ethnic and social groups may become overweight or obese. This study was performed in order to determine if there are differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Hispanic children in southeast Georgia. Specifically, this study determined the presence of a relationship between the migratory and weight status among Hispanic 3 to 5 yearolds who migrated into the area for their parents' seasonal occupations as opposed to Hispanic 3 to 5 year-olds who did not migrate, or were settled in the area.
In this study, a retrospective descriptive design was used to determine if there was a relationship between migratory status and weight status among Hispanic 3 to 5 year-olds in southeast Georgia. A sample of 46 subjects was used in this study. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 11.5. Descriptive statistics, individual r-tests, and cross-tabulation contingency tables were used to determine relationships among and between variables.
Results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between migratory status and weight status in Hispanic 3 to 5 year-olds in southeast Georgia. However, there were increased risks and higher odds that a child in this study and its target population was more likely to become overweight as the child aged. It was also noted that settled children were at an increased risk of being overweight. This data suggested that health care providers and educators may need to provide more focused nutrition and health education to the increasing population of Hispanics who are migrating into the United States. viii
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Byczkoski, Christy N., "Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Migratory Hispanics versus Settled Hispanics Aged 3 to 5 Years in Southeast Georgia" (2005). Legacy ETDs. 501.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/501
