Widening Disparities Seen in Youth Obesity
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 -- In the 2019 to 2020 school year, 20.9 percent of New York City elementary and middle school students had obesity, and 6.4 percent had severe obesity, according to a study published online May 15 in PLOS ONE.
Kira L. Argenio, M.P.H., from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity among youth in New York City before the COVID-19 pandemic and examined time trends. The analysis included height and weight measurements of public school students (kindergarten through eighth grade; aged 5 to 15 years taken during school years 2011 to 2012 through 2019 to 2020; roughly 1.37 million unique students).
The researchers found that 20.9 and 6.4 percent had obesity and severe obesity, respectively, in 2019 to 2020. Overall, there were significant, consistent declines in prevalence from 2011-2012 to 2019-2020 (2.8 percent relative decrease in obesity and 0.2 percent in severe obesity). Increasing trends were seen among Black, Hispanic, and foreign-born students. Nearly all groups experienced significant increases in obesity and severe obesity from 2016-2017 to 2019-2020 (relative change, 3.5 and 6.7 percent, respectively, overall), with some of the largest increases in obesity seen among those already bearing the greatest burden, such as Black and Hispanic students and youth living in poverty.
"These findings highlight the need for greater implementation of equity-centered obesity prevention efforts," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2024
Read this next
Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...
Patient–Primary Care Provider Language Concordance Tied to Better Outcomes
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Patient-family physician language concordance is associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 3...
Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam Improves Detection of Cognitive Issues in Primary Care
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- A self-administered gerocognitive examination (SAGE) is easily incorporated into primary care provider (PCP) visits, and its use significantly increases...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.