Prevention of Obesity in School Children Research Paper

Total Length: 580 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

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Childhood Obesity Intervention

Since the early 1980s childhood obesity has increased three-fold and during the 2005-2006 school year an estimated 16% of American children were obese (reviewed by Gleason and Dodd, 2009). Childhood obesity and weight problems predispose a child to physical and behavioral problems that can extend into their adult years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010) and for this reason health researchers and educators are attempting to curb this epidemic.

K-12 schools provide between 35% and 47% of a child's daily nutritional requirements (reviewed by Gleason and Dodd, 2009), providing an opportunity to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity the United States. Towards this goal a coalition of nutrition and educational researchers conducted a 2-year pilot study to test the efficacy of a broad-based intervention strategy targeting obesity in 3,769 children attending grades 1-6 in a public school district in central Florida (Hollar et al., 2010).

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During this longitudinal, prospective, cohort study the intervention combined improvements in the quality of the food available in schools, by doubling the fiber content and reducing fat by 23%, supplying nutritional and lifestyle educational classes, increasing opportunities for physical activity, and instituting school-based wellness projects. Of the five schools involved in the pilot study one was chosen by the school district administrators to function as a control. The demographics of the intervention and control schools did not vary significantly, although there was a < 20% difference in the number of Hispanic and White children.

Results and Interpretation

During the first year of the study a 1.46 reduction in BMI (body mass index) was observed for children attending intervention schools, but this was not statistically significant because during the same period the control schoolchildren also lost weight (-0.95 BMI). BMI.....

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"Prevention Of Obesity In School Children", 23 June 2011, Accessed.14 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/prevention-obesity-school-children-118322