The Marshfield Youth Health Study: design, objectives and cohort characteristics.
OBJECTIVE
The Marshfield Youth (MY) Health Study was designed to identify parental and infant factors associated with childhood and adolescent overweight.


METHODS
The study examined 867 children (age 5-17 years) from the Marshfield Public Schools. Heights and weights were measured by standard methods. Age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) percentiles and z-scores were determined. Definitions of overweight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were applied. Family characteristics were self-reported by questionnaire and included parents' BMI, employment, education, smoking, physical activity; and child's daycare attendance, and television/computer use. Maternal and child medical records were reviewed.


RESULTS
The MY Health cohort included 361 families. The mean +/- SD age of the children was 12.1 +/- 3.0 yrs; 511 (59%) were born in Marshfield, Wis. Of the children studied, 70% had a healthy body weight (BMI >5th and <85th percentile); 14.4% were at risk of overweight (BMI > or = 85th and <95th percentile) and 13% were overweight (BMI > or = 95th percentile). There were no differences in gender or weight status between the study cohort and all Marshfield school children (n=2782).


CONCLUSIONS
Children in the MY Health Study are representative of all school-age children in Marshfield. This cohort will be studied to identify factors associated with overweight among children.
Coleman
Laura A
LA
Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Epidemiology Research Center-ML2, WI 54449, USA. coleman.laura@mcrf.mfldclin.edu
Mukesh
Bickol N
BN
Chyou
Po-Huang
PH
McCauley
Charles S
CS
Thompson
James
J
McCarty
Daniel J
DJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology