Abstract

Obesity among children and adolescents is on the rise and are associated with high blood pressure, lipid abnormalities, diabetes, and sleep apnea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents from Central Alabama over three years. Additionally, this study examined the association between obesity and the following variables: resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose. The data set used in this study included 1,198 male and female children between the ages of 5 and 14 living in Central Alabama. Body Mass Index (BMI) Percentile, resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose were collected annually from 2015 to 2017. BMI percentile was used to determine the prevalence of obesity both overall and by age group (younger vs. older) and by sex for each year. One-way analysis of covariance examined the relationship between BMI percentile (underweight, normal, overweight, or obese) and resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose when controlling for sex. The relationships were assessed using the group overall and separately by age (younger vs. older) and sex. Older children in the study, particularly older females, were likelier to have BMIs in the top quartile for percentiles. Males were more likely to have higher glucose scores than females. The data indicates that children’s BMI percentiles continue to rise as they age, which may lead to poor outcomes later in life.

Keywords

Obesity, Overweight, Children, Adolescents, Body Mass Index,

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