Lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease by family origin among children in multiethnic, low-income, urban neighborhoods.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors (LRF) for chronic disease by family origin (FO) among children in multiethnic, low-income, urban neighborhoods.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting: 16 elementary schools located in disadvantaged, multiethnic neighborhoods in Montreal, Canada.

Participants: 4659 schoolchildren aged 9-12 in grades 4-6.

Outcome Measures: Smoking, level of physical activity, dietary habits, body mass index, sedentary behavior.

Methods: Subjects completed self-report questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle behaviors; height and weight were measured in a standardized protocol. Fourteen FO groupings were identified based on language(s) spoken and countries of birth of both subjects and parents. We tested FO as an independent correlate of having 2 or more LRF, using the generalized estimating equations method.

Results: Relative to Canadian children, a higher proportion of Haitian, Portuguese, and other Central American/Caribbean children had 2 or more LRF, the proportion was similar among Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese, South American, East European, Arabic, Italian, and South Asian children, and lower among Salvadorean children.

Conclusion: Prevention programs for youth should take differential distribution of LRF by ethnicity into account.