Session: Obesity and Weight-Related Health Among Preschool Aged Children: Examining Social Ecologies of Risk and Resilience (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Social Work perspectives in research, practice, and policy related to child obesity and weight related health are urgently needed. Social Workers apply systems frameworks, develop participatory micro/macro interventions, and conduct strength-based research on obesity aimed at reducing disparities and stigma and promoting health justice (Delgado, 2013). In the US, 23% of children aged 2 to 5 are overweight or obese, and preschool years are a sensitive period for shaping healthy habits via family/home environment. Although rates of obesity in some groups of US children have stabilized, rates among children living in low-income families remain high. Early obesity tracks into adulthood and often brings disabling comorbidities, resulting in starkly unequal beginnings to lifetime health trajectories. It is a social justice imperative to engage in research and practice to identify and treat modifiable risk factors for obesity in early childhood to promote health equity. This symposium brings together four papers that explore multi-level social ecological influences on early childhood obesity risk and resilience.

Paper 1: The first paper juxtaposes two established knowledge areas – the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on health outcomes, and health inequalities across the social gradient of socioeconomic position (SEP) -- to test novel hypotheses about the overlay of risk exposures on preschoolers' dietary health behavior. Using nationally representative data and advanced stratification methods, the study extends current knowledge about the effects of ACES and the social gradient to a child population and to dietary health behaviors.

Paper 2: The second paper widens the social ecological lens to explore influences of migration, geography, and bicultural cognitive schemas about food and family on feeding choices made by Latina immigrant mothers of preschoolers. Qualitative methods and a bilingual/bicultural team yielded findings that elucidate immigrant mothers' tacit knowledge, decision processes, and intra- and interpersonal conflicts that shape how mothers choose to nourish their families.

Paper 3: The third paper presents a biopsychosocial theoretical framework and research blueprint for understanding obesity risk among preschool-aged children in the child welfare (CW) system. Derived from interviews with CW experts and prior research, the framework focuses social work attention on three interlocking levels of the social ecology: the child welfare system, caregivers, and child. It also elucidates psychophysiological stress processes known to contribute to obesity and weight-related behavior, an important contribution that suggests new interdisciplinary avenues for Social Work research.

Paper 4: The fourth paper uses a longitudinal design to examine media-related obesity risk and protective factors encountered by young children in the home environment, and the extent to which parental monitoring strategies can buffer risks associated with TV viewing. TV time exposes children to advertising and its priming effect on unhealthful eating behaviors – a subtle but potent influence from the broader social ecology that seeps into the home. Findings will stimulate discussion about potential leverage points for interventions.

In summary, in this symposium we will disseminate research findings, discuss theoretical models, and foster dialog and networking among attendees about Social Work contributions and priorities related to child obesity and weight-related health equity.