Date of Award
Spring 2024
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Community & Global Public Health; College of Health Sciences
First Advisor
Comfort Z. Olorunsaiye, Ph.D., MPH
Abstract
Childhood overweight and obesity, the excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat causing a health risk, is primarily caused by lifestyle issues including inadequate physical activity and too many calories from food and drinks (WHO, 2020; Mayo Clinic, n,d). Key determinants of health for childhood obesity include physical environment, socioeconomic status or occupation, education level, and school environments. Children with parents who have low socioeconomic status, live in a food desert, (a neighborhood with limited access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), or a food swamp, (a neighborhood with a saturation of fast-food outlets, convenience stores, and corner stores), or are in a state of food insecurity are more likely to lack access to nutrient-dense, healthy food. Thus, having to resort to cheap, unhealthy options, increasing obesity risks (Tester et al., 2020). Childhood obesity can lead to several health consequences. These risks, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression, among others, are more likely if childhood obesity is untreated and obesity continues throughout life (Ebbeling & Ludwig, n.d).
West Virginia has an obesity rate (BMI 85th percentile and above) of 41% for children aged 10-17 which is the second worst in the country. This is significant because obesity rates for children the same age are as low as 24% in other states (America's Health Rankings, 2023). Children ages 10-13 have a higher prevalence rate of being overweight or obese than those 14-17 (46.2% compared to 35.7%) (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019). Children whose families are below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) experience obesity at a disproportionate rate compared to those of higher incomes. 42.7% of West Virginia children who are 200% below the FPL are overweight compared to the national average of 33.7% of children whose families are 200% below the FPL (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019). West Virginia children face an obesity rate of 43.9% when adults in the household have less than a high school diploma and 43.6% with a high school diploma or GED. This is significant because children in a household with an adult who has a college degree or higher have just a 25.1% obesity rate (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019).
Recommended Citation
Tullio, Isabella; Heffley, Emma; and Scardino, Natalie, "Reducing the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children ages 10-13 in Charleston, West Virginia through a School-Based Nutrition Education and Physical Activity Program" (2024). Capstone Showcase. 2.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2024/public_health/2
Reducing the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children ages 10-13 in Charleston, West Virginia through a School-Based Nutrition Education and Physical Activity Program
Childhood overweight and obesity, the excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat causing a health risk, is primarily caused by lifestyle issues including inadequate physical activity and too many calories from food and drinks (WHO, 2020; Mayo Clinic, n,d). Key determinants of health for childhood obesity include physical environment, socioeconomic status or occupation, education level, and school environments. Children with parents who have low socioeconomic status, live in a food desert, (a neighborhood with limited access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), or a food swamp, (a neighborhood with a saturation of fast-food outlets, convenience stores, and corner stores), or are in a state of food insecurity are more likely to lack access to nutrient-dense, healthy food. Thus, having to resort to cheap, unhealthy options, increasing obesity risks (Tester et al., 2020). Childhood obesity can lead to several health consequences. These risks, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression, among others, are more likely if childhood obesity is untreated and obesity continues throughout life (Ebbeling & Ludwig, n.d).
West Virginia has an obesity rate (BMI 85th percentile and above) of 41% for children aged 10-17 which is the second worst in the country. This is significant because obesity rates for children the same age are as low as 24% in other states (America's Health Rankings, 2023). Children ages 10-13 have a higher prevalence rate of being overweight or obese than those 14-17 (46.2% compared to 35.7%) (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019). Children whose families are below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) experience obesity at a disproportionate rate compared to those of higher incomes. 42.7% of West Virginia children who are 200% below the FPL are overweight compared to the national average of 33.7% of children whose families are 200% below the FPL (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019). West Virginia children face an obesity rate of 43.9% when adults in the household have less than a high school diploma and 43.6% with a high school diploma or GED. This is significant because children in a household with an adult who has a college degree or higher have just a 25.1% obesity rate (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2019).