Aside from smoking, obesity is public health enemy number one. It’s good news then that the number of overweight and obese children in New York is dropping. Perhaps the public awareness campaigns are starting to pay off.

Overweight and obese children are far more likely to develop respiratory, metabolic, and cardiovascular problems, and in the last half century the increase in waist lines and associated health risks have been well documented. In 1996 nearly 20% of children in third grade New York public and private schools were gauged to be overweight, rising to well over 20% by sixth grade. By 2003 the numbers were shocking, with 43% of the city’s public school children overweight and almost 25% fully obese.

The City of New York has now updated its data using 2006 to 2007 and 2010 to 2011 data from public schools spanning kindergarten to grade 8. It appears the news is good with noticeable decreases across the board :

  • Black – 1.9%
  • Hispanic – 3.4%
  • Asian/Pacific Islander – 7.6%
  • White – 12.5%

Nonetheless, city officials say that further public health interventions are required, most specifically to eliminate the disparities amongst ethnic groups. The American Community Survey shows that around 900,000 children attended elementary and middle school in New York City, and to obtain the data the New York City Department of Education (DOE) began to annually measure the BMI (body mass index = weight (kg) / height [m]2) of public school children. Physical education teachers were trained in taking height and weight measurements using standard protocols developed by the DOE. Parents and students are now provided with an annual assessment.

The report, published by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, has been called the biggest documented reduction in childhood obesity in a large US city. City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the report validates public health policies that aim to combat the decades-long rise in obesity rates among children. He said :

“That ever-rising tide of obesity is finally
beginning to ebb.”

What makes the report more interesting is that national rates continue to rise slightly or at best show a leveling off, whereas a decrease is important news. Farely confirmed his thoughts in regard to ethnic and low income groups that still need additional education and support to eat healthier and reduce weight, especially in children :

“Unfortunately the benefits of this are not in the children that
need it the most.”

The report points out that several policy changes in the 2003 to 2009 period in all likelihood contributed to the drop in obesity rates, these included regulations to improve nutrition, increase physical activity time and changes to school food. In 2005, for example, schools switched from whole milk to 1% fat and skim milk.

Obesity rates around the world are on the rise, in France, numbers were pegged at around 18% and worldwide an estimated 22 million children under the age of five are considered obese. It’s not a problem to be taken lightly, since in later life it may lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues and a variety of other health problems that place a great burden on hospitals and health systems.

Written by Rupert Shepherd