Prevalence of overweight among Baltimore City schoolchildren and its associations with nutrition and physical activity.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of overweight and at-risk-for-overweight in schoolchildren from Baltimore City.


METHODS
Ten schools within city limits were randomly selected from each tertile of income, using eligibility for free school lunch as a proxy. A total of 209 third grade students from eight public schools in Baltimore City were surveyed in May 2000. Anthropometric data including height, weight, subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness, and percentage body weight from bioelectrical impedance were collected. Nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire.


RESULTS
Based on International Obesity Taskforce reference values for BMI-for-age, 20.7% of girls and 17.2% of boys were overweight (BMI > 95th percentile) and 15.3% of girls and 14.1% of boys were at-risk-for-overweight (BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles). The prevalence of overweight and at-risk-for-overweight did not vary by self-reported physical activity levels or by nutrition-related knowledge and behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of overweight and at-risk-for-overweight in this sample of inner-city children from Baltimore City highlights a need for targeted preventive and treatment interventions.
Jehn
Megan L
ML
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. jgittels@jhsph.edu
Gittelsohn
Joel
J
Treuth
Margarita S
MS
Caballero
Benjamin
B
D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight; D011153:Population; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness