title: The Marshfield Youth Health Study: design, objectives and cohort characteristics.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Epidemiology Research Center-ML2, WI 54449, USA. coleman.laura@mcrf.mfldclin.edu
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Bickol N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Mukesh
authors.forename: Po-Huang
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chyou
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: McCauley
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McCarty
mesh_terms: 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