Overweight and Obese School Children-Part Two-Kansas statistics By Terry Bailey

Overweight and Obese School Children – Kansas Statistics

By Terry Bailey

In our last report we took a look at the National Statistics concerning overweight and obese children. Across the United States, 15% of children ages 6 through 19 and more than 10 % of children ages 2 through 5 are obese. Kansas children ages 2-4 have an obesity rate of 12.7%. Kansas children ages 10-17 have an obesity rate of 14.7%.

The national average for overweight children is 30.6%. The Kansas average for overweight children is 30.0, virtually the same as the national average. According to the National Institute for Children’s Health, 94,000 school children across the state of Kansas are overweight. The rate of overweight children for poor families is double that of higher income families, 45% versus 20.6%.

The method used to determine a child’s state of being underweight, normal, overweight or obese is the Body Mass Index or BMI. A person’s BMI is determined by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by their metric height squared or kg/m². There are numerous BMI calculators readily available on the internet but for example, a person who is six feet tall and weighs 200 pounds had a BMI of 27.1

The chart for assigning categories of BMI are as follows:

18.5 and below = underweight

18.6 – 24.9 = normal

25 – 29.9 = overweight

30.0 – higher = obese

While the rate of overweight children is somewhat disturbing, consider this – In 2012 approximately 66% of Kansas adults 18 years old and older were classified as overweight or obese. 36% were classified as overweight and 30% are classified as obese as measured by their BMI. Since 1995 the number of overweight adults Kansas has doubled. Studies indicate that obesity leads to coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, stroke and osteoarthritis. Researchers have estimated that in Kansas, $1.327 billion in medical expenditures are attributable to obesity of which 29 percent is financed by Medicare and Medicaid.

Diet and exercise are once again the culprits in both children and adults as the causes of this epidemic of overweigh Kansans. Studies show that children do not eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. School kids consume sugar sweetened beverages well above the recommended level. Twenty-five percent of kids grades 9 – 12 watch in excess of three hours of T.V. each day. Add to that time spent on video games and social media and there is little time left for healthy, vigorous exercise.

Tomorrow – The status of overweight children in Beloit and a plan of action

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA