The number of D.C. children classified as overweight or at risk of becoming overweight is on the rise, according to a report commissioned by the District’s school system.
About 18 percent of high school students were overweight, compared to 11 percent in 2005. Of middle schoolers, 19 percent were overweight – the same percentage as in 2005.
The information comes from the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, which jurisdictions complete every two years to gauge how often teens are using drugs, having sex and carrying weapons.
The Examiner in November obtained a portion of the District’s findings which were then posted on the school system’s Web site.
The results in the section about physical activity levels paint a picture of students who are trying to lose weight in greater numbers but still grappling with unhealthy eating habits and at higher risk of crossing into overweight status.
Jeffrey Levi, the executive director of Trust for America’s Health, a D.C.-based nonprofit that tracks youth health issues, said his group has identified many of the problems set forth in the new survey. The trust’s last annual report singled D.C. out as having the highest percentage of overweight youths in the nation.
“It’s interesting that there’s a higher number of kids going on diets,” he said. “But we’re very disturbed by the proportion of kids at risk or overweight.”
National survey results are not yet out for the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nor are results available for other counties in the region, according to the Centers for Disease Control, which collects the surveys.
Historically, though, D.C. has fared much worse than its neighbors when it comes to childhood obesity.
Last month, the city’s Department of Health released a plan to address child health deficiencies, pledging to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2010.
Some steps outlined include increasing neighborhood access to healthy food at grocery stores and farmers markets, and upping the number of physical activity offerings in community settings.
The document, in Levi’s eyes, is impressive and wide-reaching in scope.
“How quickly you see a turnaround, however, is the question,” he said.
More results
Percent of high schoolers trying to lose weight
2006: 32.9; 2007: 39.9
Percent of middle schoolers trying to lose weight
2006: 35.9; 2007: 39.7
