Description
1 in 3 children in the United States is currently classified as overweight or obese, and this prevalence increases as age rises. Obesity varies by racial, environmental, ethnic and socioeconomic factors as well as genetic factors. Childhood obesity is more prevalent among African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican-Americans than in whites, as well as in lower income families.1 2 3 Connecticut has one of the lowest childhood obesity rates in the nation (~11%), yet Norwalk’s childhood obesity rate is well above this mark at 22%4. This project reflects a partnership between the Norwalk Health Department and Norwalk Public Schools to create a report on childhood obesity in Norwalk stratified by age, gender, race, and free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. The objectives of this project were to 1) Analyze BMI data to determine if disparities in obesity prevalence in Norwalk Public Schools exist by demographic characteristics and understand how trends in obesity prevalence have changed over time. 2) Conduct qualitative analyses to identify areas for improvement by both the Norwalk Health Department and the Norwalk Public School System.
Publication Date
Spring 2019
Keywords
Public health, obesity, Body Mass Index, school health, Norwalk, Connecticut
Disciplines
Epidemiology
Recommended Citation
Couzens, Chandra; Jones-Pool, Marleen; Raiff, Elizabeth; Sutherland, Ryan; Marmolejo, Marina; Argondezzi, Theresa; O’Connor Duffany, Kathleen; and Humphries, Debbie, "Characteristics of High-Risk Groups: Analysis of Norwalk Student Body Mass Index (BMI) Data" (2019). Practice Based Community Health Research Reports. 28.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysph_pbchrr/28