New stats give N.H. new look at childhood obesity
By David Tirrell-Wysocki, Associated Press Writer | September 27, 2006
CONCORD, N.H. --For the first time, the state has compiled a report on overweight and obese kids from official medical records, and a new group is going to try to find ways to solve the problem.
The report, released Wednesday, looked at height and weight information from 1,453 children between ages 6 and 12, who were treated in 25 doctors' offices in 17 communities in 2005.
It found that 32.8 percent of the children were overweight or obese. Broken down, 13.3 percent of girls and 19.9 percent of boys were obese. Applying the findings statewide would show an estimated 45,960 overweight or obese 6- to 12-year-old children.
"This is the first study we know of looking specifically at children in a specific age group and at their medical charts and making the (Body Mass Index) calculations," said Andrea Alley, spokeswoman for the Foundation for Healthy Communities, which conducted the study.
The study also found that 85 percent of overweight or obese kids ages 6 to 9 and 72 percent of overweight or obese kids ages 10 to 12 did not have a diagnosis or note on their medical chart's problem list referring to their weight.
The study also shows that older obese children were more likely to get advice on physical activity and diet than younger kids and that children from low-income families were more likely to be overweight or obese.
"The goal of our research was to understand the number of overweight and obese children in the state and the care they receive from their doctors," said the group's executive director, Shawn LaFrance. "These details will help us come up with community prevention and treatment strategies to combat childhood obesity in New Hampshire."
Alley said it's difficult to compare the new figures to national averages because New Hampshire's study was so specific.
"But the intent was not to compare," she said. "It was to give us a baseline of what we are looking at and to start coming up with solutions."
That work begins Thursday, with the first meeting of a panel including doctors, nurse practitioners, dietitians, behavioral health specialists and public health experts to review the findings.
There are no concrete suggestions yet, Alley said, but the group may look, for instance, at ways doctors can talk to parents about their kids' weight, or the best ways to talk to the kids themselves.
They also may look at what schools can do to engage kids and what communities can do to make healthy opportunities more available for parents and kids.
The risks of being overweight or obese increase with age and increase the risk of medical conditions including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some cancers.
Childhood obesity in New Hampshire
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