OVERWEIGHT SCHOOLCHILDREN IN NEW-YORK-STATE - PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

Objectives. Childhood overweight is an increasing public health concer n. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of overweight in elementary school children in New York State and to identify chara cteristics associated with child fatness. Methods. Weight, height, tri ceps skinfold, midarm circumference, and a 24-hour dietary recall were taken on 1797 second- and fifth-grade students from 51 randomly selec ted schools in New York State outside of New York City. Parents comple ted a brief questionnaire. Results. In comparison with 1974 and 1980 n ational reference data, up to twice the expected percentages of childr en had values above the 85th, 90th, and 95th percentiles for body mass index, triceps skinfold, and arm fat area. Regression analyses sugges ted that children who tended to be fatter were members of low socioeco nomic status, two-parent (but not single-parent) households; those wit h few or no siblings; those who ate school lunch; and those who skippe d breakfast. Conclusions. The findings suggest that overweight is a pr oblem among many elementary school children in New York State and that sociodemographic characteristics may be useful for targeting preventi ve efforts.