Prevalence of overweight and risk of overweight among 3- to 5-year-old Chicago children, 2002-2003.
This article reports the first estimates of overweight prevalence in Chicago children entering school (aged 3-5 years). Chicago data are compared with those from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Data were from 2 separate convenience samples of children aged 3-5 years attending either 18 Chicago Public Schools or 10 Chicago Catholic School pre-K programs (n = 1517). Data were taken from students' Certificate of Child Health Examination (CCHE), completed by a health professional. Overall, the prevalence of overweight subjects (body mass index >or=95th percentile) was 24%, more than twice that of the national prevalence of 10% for 2- to 5-year olds documented by NHANES (1999-2002) and 3 times that of the 1998-1999 ECLS prevalence estimate of 8% for 5- to 7-year olds in the Midwest region. The data reported here document that nearly one quarter of children entering school in Chicago are already overweight. This clearly establishes a need for local schools to develop protocols and procedures to support the physical and mental health needs of affected and at-risk children. The findings also make it plain that ongoing weight status monitoring is needed and that current plans to implement this should go forward.
Center on Obesity Management and Prevention, Children's Memorial Research Center. mmason@childrensmemorial.org
Maryann
M
Mason
Patricia
P
Meleedy-Rey
Katherine Kaufer
KK
Christoffel
Matt
M
Longjohn
Myrna P
MP
Garcia
Catherine
C
Ashlaw
D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D050177:Overweight; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment