title: The Effects of Food Deserts on the Weight Status of South Dakota Children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood obesity continues to be a public health issue in the U.S. Research prior to this study demonstrated that children living on food deserts (FD) had greater weight statuses than children who did not live on FDs. Based on U.S. Department of Agriculture classification, almost half of the state of South Dakota is classified as a food desert, and childhood obesity continues to be an issue in the state. The purpose of this study was to determine if FDs play a role in childhood obesity in South Dakota, more specifically whether South Dakota children who live on FDs or on the border of FDs have greater weight statuses than children who live on non-FDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  School height and weight data collected by the South Dakota Department of Health was used to calculate weight status for students in six schools; weight was categorized as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was discovered that the pair of border-FD areas had the lowest total percentage of students who were classified as obese while the non-FD areas had the highest percentage of students who were classified as obese. The FD areas fell in between the aforementioned areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By utilizing this research and identifying precursors for obesity, such as where an individual lives and their access to healthy food, health care leaders and their multidisciplinary team can help facilitate community interventions that target areas most impacted by childhood obesity.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Niswanger
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Droke
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stluka
authors.forename: Kuo-Liang
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013023:South Dakota / Q000453:epidemiology