Prevalence of Overweight among Baltimore City Schoolchildren and its Associations with Nutrition and Physical Activity

Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and at‐risk‐for‐overweight in schoolchildren from Baltimore City. Research Methods and Procedures: Ten schools within city limits were randomly selected from each tertile of income, using eligibility for free school lunch as a proxy. A total of 20...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2006-06, Vol.14 (6), p.989-993
Main Authors: Jehn, Megan L., Gittelsohn, Joel, Treuth, Margarita S., Caballero, Benjamin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Baltimore - epidemiology
Child
children
diet
Diet - statistics & numerical data
Feeding Behavior
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Male
Motor Activity
Nutritional Status
Obesity - epidemiology
Overweight
physical activity
Population
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Skinfold Thickness
urban
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Summary:Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and at‐risk‐for‐overweight in schoolchildren from Baltimore City. Research Methods and Procedures: Ten schools within city limits were randomly selected from each tertile of income, using eligibility for free school lunch as a proxy. A total of 209 third grade students from eight public schools in Baltimore City were surveyed in May 2000. Anthropometric data including height, weight, subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness, and percentage body weight from bioelectrical impedance were collected. Nutrition‐related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire. Results: Based on International Obesity Taskforce reference values for BMI‐for‐age, 20.7% of girls and 17.2% of boys were overweight (BMI > 95th percentile) and 15.3% of girls and 14.1% of boys were at‐risk‐for‐overweight (BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles). The prevalence of overweight and at‐risk‐for‐overweight did not vary by self‐reported physical activity levels or by nutrition‐related knowledge and behaviors. Discussion: The high prevalence of overweight and at‐risk‐for‐overweight in this sample of inner‐city children from Baltimore City highlights a need for targeted preventive and treatment interventions.
ISSN:1930-7381
1930-739X
DOI:10.1038/oby.2006.113