title: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and youth in Mississippi: current trends in weight status.
abstract: The purpose of this research was to estimate the 2007 prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and youth and to compare these data with previous prevalence data to determine current trends in weight status in Mississippi. Measured height and weight data were collected on a weighted sample of 3,837 public school students in grades K-12. Prevalence estimates of obesity and overweight, as indicated by Body Mass Index, were calculated. Analyses were made by gender, race, and grade level for 2007 data, and these data were compared to the 2005 findings. In 2007, 23.5% of the students were obese. The prevalence was highest among elementary school students, males and nonwhite students. The prevalence of obesity in 2007 was lower than in 2005, and the decline occurred primarily among middle and high school students. While the 2007 prevalence was still high, the decline suggests that recent obesity initiatives may be having a positive impact.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg 39406, USA. Jerome.Kolbo@usm.edu
authors.forename: Jerome R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kolbo
authors.forename: Mary G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Lindsey C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bounds
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Harbaugh
authors.forename: Elaine Fontenot
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Molaison
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence