Prevalence of obesity among public school students in Escambia County, Florida, for the period 2006--2011

The prevalence of obesity in Escambia County students was studied using data provided by the Escambia County School District and the Escambia County Health Department for the period covering 2006 to 2011. Every year, the Escambia County Health Department collects Body Mass Index (BMI) information from students entering first, third, sixth, and ninth grade. The average percentage of students with above-normal weight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) for the period studied was 28% for first grade, 35% for third grade, 43% for sixth grade, and 38% for ninth grade. Comparing these percentages with national statistics indicates that the prevalence of obesity in Escambia County is equal to or higher than national averages. In particular, the prevalence of obesity among local female students has exceeded national averages for the last 3 years.;The data indicates a clear trend of rapidly increasing obesity in elementary school children. On the other hand, obesity decreased from sixth to ninth grade. Correlations between data for the first and third grades suggest that a major contributor to obesity comes from the community or school zone served by each school. Schools with low-obesity levels and schools with high-obesity levels both show about the same rate of increase in obesity from first to third grade. The levels of obesity in elementary schools appear to be related to the degree of obesity already present in students entering first grade. Finally, no relationship was found between obesity and ethnicity and only a weak relationship was found between obesity and socioeconomic status for all grades except first grade.