Overweight in urban, low-income, African American and Hispanic children attending Los Angeles elementary schools: research stimulating action.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to establish the prevalence and severity of nutritional problems among low-income children of elementary school age in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in order to collect baseline data to inform policy-makers.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of children in 14 elementary schools was conducted from January to June, 1998. Nine hundred and nineteen children were measured and interviewed. The planning, design and data analysis were carried out in collaboration with key LAUSD policy-makers.


RESULTS
More than 35% of the sample was classified as being at risk for overweight or overweight according to body mass index.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a high prevalence of children who are at risk for overweight or who are overweight in Los Angeles. This finding has triggered the development of multiple school-based intervention programmes.
Slusser
Wendelin M
WM
UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA. wslusser@ucla.edu
Cumberland
William G
WG
Browdy
Ben L
BL
Winham
Donna M
DM
Neumann
Charlotte G
CG
D001741:Black or African American; D017677:Age Distribution; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014505:Urban Population