New Study Reveals a Relationship between Weight and School Attendance, while Obesity Rates Continue to Increase
A study released in the August issue of the journal Obesity shows that, the more overweight a child, the more likely he or she will be absent from school. The study sought to determine the relationship between relative weight and school attendance among elementary schoolchildren. The study revealed that overweight children were absent significantly more than normal-weight children and linear regression showed that being obese remained a significant contributor to the number of days absent even after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and gender. On average, underweight children were absent 7.5 days, normal weight children 10.1 days and the obese 12.2 days.
Researchers studied a total of 1069 fourth to sixth graders from nine elementary schools in the inner city of Philadelphia, PA. Each of the students' height, weight, sex, race, and days absent were recorded. Weight was measured in the second semester of the academic year and absentee data for the entire academic year were recorded by homeroom teachers. Participants were classified into relative weight categories described by the Institute of Medicine: underweight, normal-weight, overweight, and obese.
The study discussion suggests that, in addition to the medical and psychological consequences of being overweight, as the rate of childhood obesity increases, parallel increases in school absenteeism should be expected. According to the New York Times, the lead author of the study and doctoral candidate in psychology, Andrew B. Geier, doubts that sickness among overweight children causes absences; he believes that psychological factors, not physical ones, are keeping overweight kids from going to school.
New Report Shows that Obesity Rates Continue to Grow and that National Action is Needed
A report released this month by the Trust for America’s Health shows that, in the past year, obesity rates continued to rise in 31 states and obesity rates have not dropped in a single state. “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2007,” reveals that approximately 25 million children are now either obese or overweight. Overweight rates among children range from a low of 8.5 percent in Utah to 22.8 percent in D.C. And eight of the 10 states with the highest rates of overweight children are in the South.
Also, according to the report, adult obesity rates currently exceed 25 percent in 19 states, an increase from 14 states last year. And, even in Colorado, the leanest state, adult obesity rates increased from 16.9 percent to 17.6 percent in the past year. In Mississippi alone, nearly one in 3 adults is currently reported to be obese. The state also has the highest adult hypertension rate, the highest rate of physical inactivity, the second highest rate of adult diabetes, and the highest rate of poverty (tied with D.C.).
The report criticizes the strategy of focusing on personal responsibility in combating obesity. It shows that people are influenced by their relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues; their home, workplace, neighborhood, and school environments; their economic limitations; as well as their genetics, physiology, psychology, and life stages.
It includes a call to action that would focus on strategies that work on a wide scale. These include making changes to schools, workplaces, homes, and communities and engaging the government, businesses, health care providers, community groups, and families.
The report also explores both the current policy weaknesses and the new, grand scale changes that need to be considered to address the obesity crisis nationwide. The report offers an examination of physical activity, including a cost review, recommendations and strategies to encourage physical activity, and a description of barriers that deter people from engaging in physical activity. In addition, it includes findings about potential strategies for dealing with obesity derived from two surveys, one of obesity experts and the other of average citizens.
For further information on this study, please contact:
Trust for America’s Health
1707 H Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 223-9870
Fax: (202) 223-9871
Email: info@tfah.org
For additional information on the journal article above, please visit www.obesityresearch.org.
To learn more about childhood obesity, its consequences, and ways to combat obesity with sound school health policies and programs, please visit the School Health Programs website at www.nsba.org/schoolhealth.
Source: "The Relationship Between Relative Weight and School Attendance Among Elementary Schoolchildren," Abstract, Obesity, August, 2007; "Patterns: Weight May Influence School Attendance," Vital Signs, The New York Times, August 21, 2007; and "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2007," Trust for America's Health, August, 2007.