40% NY children obese or over-weight for their age--study
POSTED September 6, 2010 - 10:59 | POSTED BY Jasmine
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on September 6, 2010 - 13:15
Commenting on the results provided by the recent study, executive director of the Department of Education’s Office of School Wellness, Laurie Benson, said in a press statement, "While it would be great if we saw the numbers go down, it is encouraging that they're holding steady."
Benson further added, the only good news is that rate of obesity/over-weight among NY kids is not on rise as it is nationwide, as reported by a previous research study.
Key findings in study
To come to this startling conclusion, researchers analyzed the fitness test data collected in between 2008 to 2009, where approximately 635,000 kindergartners to eighth-graders were studied.
Researchers noted that NY kids have 22 percent of body mass index (BMI), which is high enough for a kid to be declared clinically obese for his/her age.
As per study Corona, Queens, have highest obesity rate as 51 percent of school children were either found to be obese or over-weight.
Researchers found out that the rate of obesity was highest not just in kids but also in adults in neighborhoods that are impoverished or have a lower average income.
Explaining this side of the study, Benson said, "If you look at the adult levels of obesity, you're going to see very similar trends. Unfortunately, there is a lot of correlation between socioeconomics and health status."
Efforts to combat issue fails
Apparently, city health department after finding about the growing rate of obesity in young children tried to combat the situation by:
- Making vegetable and fruits available in less affluent neighbors.
- Informing parents about their kids obesity/over-weight status
- Banning sugary drinks from school vending machines.
However, this new study is proof that these efforts failed to curb unhealthy eating habits in children.
Obesity/over-weight serious health issues
A dietician Keith Ayoob, at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine believes that just letting parents know about their kids’ over-weight/obesity issue is no solution as stricter measures are needed in order to combat the situation.
"This isn't a cosmetic issue -- it's a health issue. We're going to have an epidemic of Type II diabetes. It's a huge wake-up call," said Ayoob, commenting on the study results and various experts’ opinion on report.
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