Childhood Overweight

Overweight & Obesity

Missouri's children are a valuable resource! Each one is special! It is important to nourish these children so that they will be in peak form to learn and attain the highest quality of life possible. Along these lines, the state has recognized the epidemic proportion of overweight among both children and adults, and the need to intervene with programs that deal with the issue of overweight in an effective yet sensitive manner.

Missouri Data
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services collects height, weight and body mass index-for-age data on school-age children as an activity of the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance project. Approximately 17,000 of a total of 1,057,794 students in participating Missouri schools are weighed and measured to calculate an age and gender specific BMI and percentile. This sample is about 1½ percent of the total student population. Information about what children eat is also collected when students complete a Food Frequency Questionnaire developed by Harvard University School of Public Health.

Health risk behaviors of Missouri youth, including information on fruit, vegetable and milk intake, and overweight, are monitored through the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. These surveys are conducted every two years with 9th through 12th graders in local public and non-public schools.

From the Department of Health and Senior Services data collected, it is known that Missouri children and adolescents are above the national norm in prevalence of overweight. In Missouri, 18.6 percent of adolescents screened were overweight, compared to the national average of 14 percent overweight adolescents aged 12-19 in 1999. Additional findings relating to the majority of the students participating in the study include:

• The percent of overweight appears to be increasing among students aged 5-11, a finding that is consistent with national trends. In the 1999-2000 school year, 19.4 percent of Missouri students in the population screened were overweight. In the 2000-2001 school year, the percentage increased to 21.5 percent.
• The percent of "at risk for overweight" also appears to be increasing among students aged 5-11. In the 1999-2000 school year, 17.4 percent of Missouri students in the population screened were at risk for overweight. In the 2000-2001 school year, the percentage increased to 17.9 percent.
• In the 1999-2000 school year, 36.6 percent of Missouri students who participated in a nutritional screening were either at risk for overweight or actually overweight. In the 2000-2001 school year, that percentage had risen to 39.4 percent.
• Black and Hispanic populations appear to be at a higher risk for being overweight or at risk for being overweight.
• Most of the students are not meeting the recommended number of servings from the meat, bread and cereal, and vegetable Food Guide Pyramid groups.
• Most students' mean daily intake of sweets and fats is higher than any of the five Food Guide Pyramid groups.
• Less than 50 percent of the students are meeting the recommended daily allowances of calcium, iron, zinc and folate.
• Milk is the most significant source of most of the students' fat, carbohydrate, protein, and calcium intakes.
• French fries are the second largest contributor to most of the students' total fat and caloric intake.
• Soft drinks are the second largest contributor to most of the students' total carbohydrate intake.

This information, plus much more, is available by viewing the full summary report.

Modifiable Risk Factors: Diet and Exercise
Two modifiable risk factors for overweight are diet and exercise. "Diet" when used in this context refers to usual daily food and drink. Children should never be placed on a restrictive diet unless they are under the care of a physician. Both diet and exercise are greatly influenced by the environment in which children live.

For assistance in developing policies that will improve the school nutrition environment, order a USDA Changing the Scene tool kit for your school, or become involved in the School Health Advisory Council or other parent and community groups that work for positive change.

More information for schools and parents on childhood overweight is available at the Missouri Overweight & Obesity Related Links.