Food consumption, activity, and overweight among elementary school children in an Appalachian Kentucky community

Abstract

In the U.S., child overweight is on the rise and is implicated in later adult chronic illness. Given that overweight is hardly tractable, prevention as compared to treatment is seen as a better alternative for lowering the risk of long-term health consequences. To increase the success of prevention efforts, many argue that programs must be "culturally sensitive and targeted toward specific populations at greater risk. However, there exists a limited understanding of how overweight is distributed across the landscape, among and within populations and groups. This paper reports the prevalence of overweight among 54 school children in a rural, Appalachian community with a high rate of poverty, and it compares boys to girls. Thirty-seven percent of boys and 10.3% of girls are overweight, based on the 90th percentile body mass index (BMI). Analysis of food intake indicates a pattern of food consumption that is high in fatty and sugary foods and low in fruit and vegetable consumption. Analysis of activity indicates that children report more low-intensity activity than high; that overweight children report more episodes of video/computer play compared to nonoverweight children; and that boys spend more time than girls in front of the computer/television screen.