Exploring U.S. Hispanic parents' length of time in the United States: Influences on obesity outcomes among U.S. Hispanic children.

The 2009 California Health Interview Survey was used to examine effects of Hispanic immigrant parents' length of stay (less or more than 10 years) in the United States on the overweight and obesity outcomes among their children (N = 956, aged 6-11). The socio-ecological model of health was used to conceptualize health risk behaviors and associations with overweight/obesity outcomes among children. Weight (using body mass index) among children was influenced by parents' length of stay, country of origin, income, and urban/rural residence. Future directions for social work professionals working with obese Hispanic children and their families are discussed.