Nutrition, Physical Activity, and BMI-for-Age Categorization of School-Aged Children in the Menomonie Area

Lindsay Rozek, Food and Nutrition; Ann Parsons, Biology, AdvisorUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout

IntroductionThirty-one percent of children are overweight or obese in Wisconsin.Potential causes of this epidemic include: increased energy intake and decreased physical activity.Childhood obesity increases the risk for diabetes mellitus, low self worthcardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, & asthma.Treatment programs include: dietary modification, increased physical activity, and behavioral modifications.

Objectives To determine the prevalence of childhood obesity in the Menomonie

area Examine childhood nutritional knowledge and physical activity attitudes

of children and evaluate if these variables relate to childhood obesity

Methods Data was collected in March 2011 from 2 schools in the Menomonie

school district with a total of 85 students from grades kindergarten through five participating

Hearts N Parks survey used to measure nutritional knowledge and physical activity attitudes

All nutrition knowledge questions were scored by giving one point for a positive answer, zero points for an incorrect answer with a possible total score of 7

All physical activity questions were scored by giving 2 points for most positive answer, 1 point for positive answer, and 0 points for least positive answer, with a possible total score of 12

Height and weight were measured to determine BMI

Results 85 students 44% males 56% females

k 1 2 3 4 5012345678

Average Nutrition Knowledge Scores among Males and Females

mf

Grade

Scor

e

Values are average ± S.D. No statistical significant differences observed

between groups with two-way ANOVA (p >.05) No correlation was found between weight status

and nutrition knowledge using a Pearson’s correlation between student’s BMI percentile and nutrition knowledge score (r = -1.84, p > .05)

k 1 2 3 4 502468

1012

Physical Activity Attitudes Scores among Males and Females

mf

Grade

Scor

e

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(2011, Feb.15). Healthy weight, it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Retrieved February 10, 2011, http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/Index.html

National Conference of State Legislatures. (2011). Childhood overweight and obesity trends. Retrieved February 11, 2011 from http://www.ncsl.org/?tabid=13877

Values are average ± S.D. No statistical differences found between

gender and physical activity scores with two-way ANOVA (p > .05)

No correlation was observed between weight status and physical activity attitudes using a Pearson’s correlation between student’s BMI percentile and physical activity score (r = -.01, p > .05)

Conclusion Nutrition knowledge was not dependent

upon grade and gender Grade and gender did not affect physical

activity attitude scores Nutrition knowledge and physical activities

are not correlated with weight status Future research should include physical

activity levels and amount of calories consumed by participants

Un-der-

weight

Normal Over weight

Obese0

10203040506070

Weight Status

# of

Chi

ldre

n

Weight Status Percentile RangeUnderweight Less than 5th percentileNormal 5th to 85th percentileOverweight 85th to 95th percentile

Obese ≥95th percentile

Found BMI percent for age and gender Determined weight status

Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 18.0