Weight status of American Indian and white elementary school students living in the same rural environment, Oklahoma, 2005-2009.

INTRODUCTION: Studies have assessed rates of childhood obesity in diverse populations, but few have been able to compare the weight status of American Indian and white children living in the same community and attending the same schools. The objective of this study was to measure and compare the weight status of American Indian and white elementary school students (kindergarten through 5th grade) from 2005 through 2009 in an Oklahoma school district. METHODS: We assessed height, weight, age, and sex to calculate body mass index, body mass percentile, and categorical weight status of students, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 Growth Charts. We used binomial regression to generate risk ratios (RRs) to compare student weight status by race, sex, and age. RESULTS: An average of 753 students was measured in each year; mean age was 8.3 years. From 2005 through 2009, 45.4% of American Indian students and 65.1% of white students were healthy weight or underweight. Greater proportions of American Indian children were very obese (weighted average RR, 2.0); obese (weighted average RR, 1.6), or overweight (weighted average RR, 1.8) compared with white children. The overall prevalence of excess weight changed little during the study period. CONCLUSION: American Indian children had a greater risk of being overweight, obese, or very obese than white children from the same rural environment.

The Healthy Adults Project in rural Oklahoma.

CONTEXT: Screening to identify individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease is sorely needed in rural areas of Oklahoma. OBJECTIVE: The Healthy Adults Project was started as a screening program for public school employees in a rural school district in southwest Oklahoma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The screening project is a collaborative effort between the Anadarko Public School district and the University of Oklahoma Prevention Research Center. Two hundred twenty-four (224) employees participated in the screening in 2004, and 206 employees participated in 2005. FINDINGS: Approximately 50% of females and 80% of males had two or more modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in 2004 and 2005. CONCLUSIONS: Worksite screening is a valuable tool to raise awareness of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, particularly in less densely populated areas where wages are low and few preventive services are available. Knowledge of individual risk is the first step in improving health outcomes.

Overweight and obesity in an ethnically diverse rural school district: the Healthy Kids Project.

OBJECTIVE: Data on Native American children and adolescents are rarely reported along with other racial and ethnic groups. The Healthy Kids Project is part of an effort to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a racially mixed rural area where Native American, Hispanic, African American, and white children reside. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We measured height and weight of students in Anadarko, Oklahoma public schools (n = 1,980) in 2002-2003. All available students (95.7%) whose parents had not opted out of school health assessments were included. From these data, we calculated BMI (weight (kg) / height (m(2))) and used the International Obesity Task Force reference to classify children into BMI categories. RESULTS: Native American, Hispanic, African American, and white children who live and attend school in the same surroundings are at risk of overweight and obesity. White children had the lowest combined prevalence of overweight and obesity (37.6%), and Native American children had the highest (53.8%) followed closely by African American (51.7%) and Hispanic children (50.5%). DISCUSSION: The childhood obesity epidemic includes all racial and ethnic groups to different degrees. In a rural public school, Native American, Hispanic, and African children had higher rates of overweight/obesity than white children.