What do we know about childhood weight in Utah

1
What do we know about childhood weight in Utah?

• David N. Sundwall, MD

2
First, what do parents weigh?

• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
• Random, ongoing telephone survey of Utah adults
  ages 18
• Adults with children ages 0-18 living at home,
  self-reported height and weight

3
Utah Adults, Who Were Obese or Overweight, with
Children Ages 0-18

• 1994 49
• 1998 54
• 2002 57
• 2004 61
• A 24 increase from 1994-2004

4
(No Transcript)
5
What do youth weigh?

• Youth Behavior Risk Survey, Grades 9-12, self
  reported height and weight

6
(No Transcript)
7
What do children weigh?

• Utah Department of Health Height and Weight
  Studies, 1993 and 2002
• Children weighed and measured by trained staff on
  calibrated scales

8
2002 Utah Height-Weight Study

• Percent of Students, K-8th Grade, Who Were
  Overweight or at risk, by Gender (at or above the
  85th percentile), n10,000

9
Percent of Utah Third-graders Who were
Overweight, 1993 to 2002

• Boys - increased by 119
• from 6.9 to 15.1
• Girls - increased by 40
• from 6.8 to 9.5

10

• In 2002, 1 in every 4 Utah students, grades K-8,
  was overweight or at risk of becoming overweight!

11

• Enough to
• fill 2,067
• elementary
• school
• classrooms

12
What do very young children weigh?

• Women, Infants and Children Food Program
• Children, ages 0-5, weighed and measured by
  trained staff on calibrated equipment

13
Percent of Utah Children in WIC Program, Ages
0-5, Who Were Overweight

• 1996 6.5 overweight
• 2000 7.2
• 2003 7.6
• A 16.9 increase from 1996 to 2003

14
Percent of Utah Children in WIC Program, Ages
4-5, Who Were Overweight

• 1996 6.8 overweight
• 2000 7.7
• 2003 9.7
• A 42.6 increase from 1996 to 2003

15
(No Transcript)
16
For More Information

• http//health.utah.gov/obesity
• Tipping the Scales toward Healthier Utahns
• A Report on Overweight and Obesity in Utah
• And, a multitude of other resources.

17
How will we tip the scales?

• Families
• Schools
• Communities
• Health Care Providers
• Media
• Finding Solutions Together