Obesity

Indicator Definition 
Obesity for children (ages 10–17 years) is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95^th percentile on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s gender- and age-specific revised Growth Charts for the United States. The BMI for children and adolescents is a number calculated from a child’s weight and height. BMI measurements for children and adolescents reflect normal differences in body fat between boys and girls while considering differences in body fat at various ages. It provides a reliable indicator of body fat and is used to screen for excessive weight gain that may lead to health problems.

Obese children in Colorado6

Obese children by race in Colorado7

Indicator Significance
The proportion of children ages 6–11 in the United States who are obese increased from 7 percent in 1976 – 1980 to 19 percent in 2003. The growing proportion of children who are obese has been described as an epidemic requiring an immediate policy response. For the first time in history, children in the United States may have a lower life expectancy than their parents due to the increased incidence of obesity and related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Using the Healthy People 2010 guidelines, all states are far from achieving the goal of a childhood obesity rate of 5 percent or less.¹

Colorado Specifics 
Colorado has a relatively low proportion of children who are obese compared to other states. The 2007 Child Health Survey conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, however found 13 percent of children to be obese and an additional 13 percent overweight. Hispanic children were nearly twice as likely to be obese than white children.²

Promising Initiatives
In Colorado
The Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (COPAN) is a broad-based collaborative effort to promote education about healthy living choices in schools. COPAN’s Nutrition State Plan 2010 seeks to raise awareness of parents, childcare providers, preschool educators and other community agencies with initiatives designed to create supportive environments that promote physical activity and good nutrition.³

LiveWell Colorado, through efforts partially sponsored by The Colorado Health Foundation, dedicates millions of dollars to reducing obesity in the state. Grant recipients encourage healthy living through policies, programs and environmental changes that often focus on school and community settings.⁴

Elsewhere
In 2003, under the leadership of former governor Mike Huckabee, Arkansas launched a broad-based initiative to reverse the state’s trends in childhood obesity. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement was given the responsibility to measure each child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) at school. Parents were notified of the results, and were provided with an explanation of the health risks associated with obesity. In the past three years, improvements in the BMI reporting have made Arkansas a model for other states. A recent evaluation found that the progression of the childhood obesity epidemic has been halted in Arkansas.⁵

Obese children⁸

Text

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Overweight Prevalence”; June 20, 2008.
   
   Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. “Tracking Progress: Third Annual Arkansas Assessment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity”; August 2006.
   
   
2. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Child Health Survey, 2006.”
   
3. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition. “Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition State Plan 2010”; December 2004.
   
4. Live Well Colorado.
   
5. Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. “Assessment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in Arkansas: Year Four 2006-2007.”
   

Charts

6. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Child Health Survey, 2004-2007.
   
7. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Child Health Survey, 2007.
   
8. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Children’s Health, 2003.