Research Links Childhood Overweight to Lower Academic Achievement; New Report Shows What States are Doing to Combat Childhood Obesity
July 17, 2008 - A new study shows that childhood obesity is predicted by a variety of social, behavioral and environmental factors, and is also linked to lower academic performance.
The study, entitled Ecological Predictors and Developmental Outcomes of Persistent Childhood Overweight, was conducted by the University of Missouri and published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. It collected data on 8,000 children from kindergarten through third grade. Findings indicate that various factors predict persistent childhood overweight, including socioeconomic status, gender, race, and various behavioral and environmental factors such as increased television viewing, fewer family meals, and neighborhoods rated by parents as less safe for outdoor play.
The study also found that overweight children progressed less in reading and math achievement than did their nonoverweight peers, and were rated lower on academic and socioemotional factors by their teachers and themselves.
New Report Shows the Importance of Continued Efforts in Combating Childhood Obesity
A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) report highlights continued efforts at the state government level to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
The BALANCE 2007 End-of-the-Year Report, released in June, reviews state legislative efforts in 2007 to combat childhood obesity, increase physical activity, improve access to healthier foods, and more. The report is divided into six topic areas:
1. Policy Actions and Planning—describes state legislative action such as convening commissions, councils and task forces, implementing pilot programs and policies, developing insurance and Medicaid measures for obesity coverage, and implementing snack/soda taxes.
2. Community Access to Nutrition—reports state efforts in implementing commodity price supports, introducing and encouraging farmer’s markets, and establishing grocery stores or supermarkets in low-access areas.
3. Food and Beverage Industry—tracks state action on issues including industry liability, food marketing to children, food and menu labeling, trans fat legislation, and genetically engineered foods.
4. Active Living and Community Design—addresses state-level work in areas such as pedestrian and recreational safety, bicycle and walking path, park and trail development, community design and land use initiatives, and transportation infrastructure.
5. Children’s Access to Nutritious Foods—describes state action on school wellness programs, school meals, sales of junk food and other foods outside of school, school staff qualifications, à la carte offerings, and vending machines and vending contracts, as well as federal child nutrition programs and other federal legislation.
6. Students’ Physical Activity, BMI and Fitness Levels—summarizes state legislation on physical education, physical activity and fitness, BMI and physical fitness assessments, health and physical education curricula, and school-based recess programs.
In addition to tracking state legislative action, the report also presents brief overviews of data on various factors affecting obesity and strategies for addressing the obesity epidemic.
The full report is available online at: http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=31471&pid=1138&c=EMC-CA138. For more information about the RWJF website, please visit: www.rwjf.org. To view the University of Missouri report, please visit: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ccr42/.
Source: “Ecological Predictors and Developmental Outcomes of Persistent Childhood Overweight,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, June 2008, and “BALANCE 2007 End-of-the-Year Report,” RWJF, June 2008.