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Severe obesity, obesity rates declined in NYC public schools
New York City’s efforts to reduce obesity among children attending public schools have met with success, according to research published in Preventing Chronic Disease.
Decreases were greater in children with severe obesity than obesity, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, however, and continued monitoring of this subgroup of students is warranted, officials reported.
“Although obesity is beginning to plateau among U.S. children, severe childhood obesity overall is increasing nationally, but not in New York City, where severe obesity is decreasing along with or faster than obesity,” the researchers wrote.
For school years 2006 to 2007 through 2010 to 2011, Sophia E. Day, of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and colleagues, examined height and weight measurements of 947,765 students aged 5 to 14 years in grades kindergarten through 8.
The researchers used age- and sex-specific BMI percentiles based on CDC growth charts to categorize students as having childhood obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) or severe childhood obesity (BMI ≥120% of 95th percentile) and find biologically implausible values (BIV). Trends in the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity were determined through multivariable logistic models.
Over the course of the study, severe obesity decreased 9.5% vs. a 5.5% decrease in obesity. Both severe obesity and obesity were most prevalent among boys who were minority and low socioeconomic status. Similarly, decreases in severe obesity were most pronounced among students who were white and high socioeconomic status. Severe obesity increased along with age, and obesity rates were highest in children aged 7 to 10 years.
“Accurately monitoring severely obese populations provides clinicians and public health officials with the ability to target those most at risk for poor health outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosures: This research was supported by internal New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene funds and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.