40% of New York kids overweight or obese
According to a new study, 40% of New York school aged kids are either overweight or obese.
The researchers used 2009 physical fitness test data collected in the three grades by public school districts throughout the county to determine the percentage of students who were overweight and obese. Surprisingly, 22 percent of New York’ kids have a body mass index (BMI) high enough to be declared clinically obese, and another 18 percent are considered overweight.
Approximately 635,000 kindergartners through eighth-graders were assessed for the research in 2008 and 2009. The highest rate was in Corona, Queens, where 51% of kids were overweight or obese. Comparatively, just 12% of students were overweight or obese on the Upper West Side. However, in the Queens neighbourhood Corona, more than half of kids are obese by this study’s standards. Health officials say New York’s rate of obesity is in reality leveling off, although growing nationally. That compares with 35.5 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds nationally, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New York is well aware of the problem. The city’s Fitnessgram program tracks individual students and provides yearly reports on their health — including their BMI. Students straying into the high end are targeted for special support and attention from school nurses.
awesome. now it’s the states job to keep kids thin.
parents, are you out there?