Children of Southeast Ohio

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if the children participating in summer programs on a university campus would serve as a useful model to study childhood obesity in the Appalachian region. To do this, we assessed a variety of factors that influence obesity based upon the Healthy People 2010 goals. METHODS: Thirty-one males (10.0±2.08 y) and 34 females (9.9±1.84 y) volunteered to participate in this study, via parental consent and assent forms. Some measures were not available for all children participating. The children who participated in the study had the opportunity to complete the Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire (to assess dietary intake), the Children's Body Image Scale (to assess the child's body image), the Leisurescope Plus survey (to assess leisure activity choices) and a series of body measurements were taken including height, weight, blood pressure, skinfolds, circumferences, and diameters. Body composition was also assessed by air displacement plethysmography. The parents completed a series of questionnaires, including questions about their child's health, the family's health routines, and food availability in the household (food security). Data presented in this abstract include obesity rates as related to various health measures. RESULTS: Of the children participating in the study, 43.1% had a body fat, as determined by skinfold measurements, that was classified as moderately high, high, or very high. When using BMI as a measure of obesity, 19.7% of the children were classified as at risk of becoming overweight, with 26.2% of children classified as overweight. A positive correlation (p<0.05) was found between percent fat and BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, systolic blood pressure, and number of hours of television watched (as estimated by parents). The parents were asked to rate whether they thought their child was of normal weight or not and a positive correlation (p<0.05) was found between both percent fat and BMI and the parent's perception of the child's weight, indicating that the parent could accurately estimate if the child was overweight. The parents were also asked if the child's physician had indicated that the child was above their recommended weight, and only two of the 65 children had a doctor who indicated a weight problem (no correlation to percent fat or BMI). CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of obesity in this population suggests that this may serve as a useful model to study the unique barriers faced by children in the Appalachian region in the prevention of obesity. Further analysis of the remaining data will provide information for specific barriers worth further exploration.