The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57722

Juhee Kim, MS¹, Karen Peterson, ScD, RD², Virginia R Chomitz, PhD¹, Lise Fried, MS¹, Robert McGowan, PhD³, and Karen Ann Hacker, MD, MPH¹. (1) Institute for Community Health, 119 Windsor Street, Ground Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617-665-3808, jkim@challiance.org, (2) Department of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School,Physical Education Department, Cambridge Public Schools, 459 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138

The incidence of overweight and the changes in overweight status during childhood have not been reported using an annual school-based growth surveillance system. We examined the weight status of children using a cohort from 1998 to 1999. The cohort consisted of students enrolled in all public elementary schools in a racially diverse city (aged 5-14 yr, 42% White, n=2236). Weight and height were measured by trained physical education teachers in two consecutive April. At risk for overweight was defined as BMI 85-95th percentile and overweight as BMI©ø 95th percentile (2000 NCHS/CDC reference). The prevalence of overweight was 17.7% in 1998 and 18.8% in 1999. The incidence rate of overweight was 5.8% at 1-year of follow-up. While 79% of overweight children remained overweight, only 48% of at risk for overweight children in 1998 were classified as such in 1999. About 23% at risk for overweight children became overweight and 30% of them became normal weight. The relative risk for becoming overweight was 14.3 (95% CI= 9.1,22.3) among at risk for overweight students compared to normal weight students. Ethnicity and lower SES (free/reduced lunch program eligibility) were not associated with becoming overweight in a year. These results reflect both tracking and shifting weight status among children and suggest school-based height and weight monitoring is a useful approach to monitoring overweight trends.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will
• learn the prevalence and incidence of overweight among school aged children
• learn the proportions of children who shifted their overweight status in a year
• learn the benefit of monitoring children¡¯s weight status using a school-based growth surveillance system.

Keywords: Surveillance, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.