The Differences in Characteristics Among Households With and Without Obese Children: Findings From USDA’s FoodAPS

Though the obesity rate for children in the United States has reached an unprecedented level, not all children face the same risk. Using data from USDA’s 2012 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), this study examines characteristics of households with at least one obese child (obese-child households) and without any obese children (nonobese-child households) to understand potential reasons behind the dissimilar risks. Children from obese-child households tend to live in a more disadvantageous household and food environment than children from nonobese-child households. Their parents are more likely to be unmarried, less educated, financially constrained, and obese. Obese-child households tend to be located in areas with lower access to healthful foods. Children from obese-child households eat breakfast less frequently than children from nonobese-child households; however, the difference in the nutritional quality of food acquired by the two household types is not statistically significant.