Are we underestimating overweight and obesity prevalence in children?

Abstract

To objectively determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in elementary school children in two rural counties in Vermont prior to implementing a community-based intervention. School-based objective measures of body mass index (BMI) were obtained from 1,688 public school children in first, third, and fifth grades in two Northern Vermont counties in the Fall of 2017. Forty-one percentage of elementary school children were either overweight or obese, nearly double the estimated Vermont prevalence rate of 22.2%. Schools located in more rural areas showed higher levels of overweight and obesity in children than schools in less rural areas in these northern counties (p<.005). Indirect and self-reported measures of BMI may be underestimating the true prevalence of overweight and obesity particularly in more rural communities. Data presented here in which children were measured directly by trained study staff demonstrate that the prevalence of obesity among children in elementary school is alarmingly high. Accurate, ongoing BMI measurement surveillance is one tool to better understand both the current trends in childhood overweight and obesity and the effect of community and state interventions.