title: Measuring and modelling body mass index among a cohort of urban children living with disadvantage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on baseline outcomes of body mass index, eating habits and physical activity of a cohort of urban disadvantaged children from a longitudinal evaluation of a school based, health promoting initiative.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The healthy schools programme was developed for implementation in schools located in disadvantaged areas of Dublin, Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, cohort study design was implemented.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 3-year longitudinal evaluation was conducted in five intervention and two comparison schools between 2009-2011. Data were collected on each participating child to determine their eating habits, levels of physical activity and body mass index at year 1 (baseline), year 2 and year 3. Independent t-tests were used to compare mean values, chi-square and Fishers exact tests were used to compare proportions at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participation rates were over 50%. Older children reported eating on average more fruit and vegetables than younger children; breakfast was often eaten on the way to, or in school and in one age group 16.7% of intervention children reported they did not eat breakfast that day. Levels of physical activity varied with over 70% of younger children stating they never played a sport. In intervention schools over one quarter of all children were either overweight or obese. A comparison was conducted between the proportion of 9-year olds overweight and obese in our disadvantaged cohort and a national random sample of 8500 9-year olds and no important differences were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baseline results indicate that body mass index rates particularly among pre adolescent, urban disadvantaged girls are of concern.
authors: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Eleanor
authors: E
authors: Hollywood
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Comiskey
authors: Thelma
authors: T
authors: Begley
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Snel
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: O'Sullivan
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Quirke
authors: Ciara
authors: C
authors: Wynne
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014505:Urban Population