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Mississippi Initiatives to Address Childhood Obesity
Children in Mississippi suffer from an alarming rate of overweight that continues to rise. Overweight children miss significantly more school days and perform less well academically than normal weight children. Risk factors for heart disease (such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure) and type 2 diabetes occur more frequently in overweight children and adolescents. In the past ten years there has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adolescents. In addition to the health consequences, there are risks of developing potentially life-threatening psychological problems as well, such as depression, eating disorders, discrimination and stigmatization, negative self image, and passivity and withdrawal from peers.
Research indicates that overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. Many times, parents of overweight children do not recognize or acknowledge that their child is overweight.
Mississippi has one of the highest rates of children found to be overweight or at risk of overweight in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks the rate of obesity among children through its Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which collects data through surveys of youth. The following table shows Mississippi results compared to the nation:
Figure 1: Percentage of High School Students Who Were Overweight or At Risk of Becoming Overweight, Mississippi and the United States, 2003.
| Question |
2003 Mississippi |
2003 United States |
| Results |
Results |
| Percent |
Percent |
Percentage of students who were at risk for becoming overweight (i.e., at or above the 85th percentile but below the 95th percentile for body mass index, by age and sex) |
15.7 |
14.8 |
Percentage of students who were overweight (i.e., at or above the 95th percentile for body mass index, by age and sex) |
15.7 |
12.1 |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.
When data are collected through measured heights and weights rather than through self-reports, researchers find that the rates of children who are overweight or at risk of overweight are even higher. Researchers from the College of Health at the University of Southern Mississippi developed the Child and Youth Prevalence of Overweight Survey (CAYPOS) to estimate the prevalence of obesity among children in Mississippi using height and weight measurements and compared the results for grades 6 through 8 with self-reported data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) for middle school students:
Figure 2: Percentage of Middle School Students in Mississippi Who Were Overweight or At Risk of Becoming Overweight, YRBSS vs. CAYPOS, 2003.
Survey |
6th Grade |
7th Grade |
8th Grade |
YRBSS |
26.0 |
29.0 |
21.7 |
CAYPOS |
34.6 |
43.4 |
43.2 |
Source: Kolbo JR, Penman AD, Meyer MK, Speed NM, Molaison EF, Zhang L. Prevalence of overweight among elementary and middle school students in Mississippi compared with prevalence data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Prevention of Chronic Disease, Vol. 3, No. 3, July 2006. (http://www.cdc.gov/PCD/issues/2006/jul/05_0150.htm)
Researchers repeated the CAYPOS measurements in 2005 and compared the results to those from 2003. In almost every grade, the percentage of children who were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight increased:
Figure 3: Percentage of children in Mississippi (Grades 1-8) Who Are Overweight or At Risk of Becoming Overweight, 2003 vs. 2005.
Grade |
Overweight or at Risk 2003 |
Overweight or at Risk 2005 |
1st |
26.9% |
42.1% |
2nd |
31.7% |
35.2% |
3rd |
42.8% |
41.9% |
4th |
42.5% |
50.1% |
5th |
44.7% |
50.4% |
6th |
34.6% |
50.7% |
7th |
43.4% |
54.9% |
8th |
43.2% |
42.9% |
Source: Molaison EF, Kolbo JR, Speed N, Dickerson, E, & Zhang L. Prevalence of overweight among children and youth in Mississippi: A comparison between 2003 and 2005. December 2007.
A complete copy of the report comparing the 2003 and 2005 CAYPOS results is available on-line.
About 95 percent of adult Mississippians think that childhood obesity is a serious problem in Mississippi, according to a recent survey conducted by researchers at the College of Health at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). In addition, Mississippi adults show stronger support for public policies to address the problem than adults nationwide. For example, Mississippians were more favorable to the following:
- To the government playing a significant role in reducing child obesity
- To laws limiting vending machines in elementary, middle, and high schools
- To a law requiring BMI assessments for children in schools
- To a law requiring 30 minutes of physical activity in school
The Center for Mississippi Health Policy has prepared an Issue Brief summarizing the results of the survey. More detailed information can be found in the Research Highlights or full Report from USM.
Legislators, Governor’s staff, members of the State Board of Education, and staff of the Department of Education studied the data on the prevalence of obesity in Mississippi, the consequences of childhood obesity, and public policy in other states. In 2005, legislation was introduced in 45 states to address the increasing rate of obesity among children. In 2006, at least 23 states considered legislation relating to school nutrition standards and 34 states reviewed bills to enhance physical education requirements. States have also taken similar action through regulation and policy. The most common actions include the following:
- Prohibit access to vending machines and school stores in elementary schools;
- Conduct annual assessments of students’ height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI) and report results to parents;
- Involve and educate parents and communities;
- Provide effective nutrition education and integrate it into the curriculum; and
- Establish minimum time and frequency requirements for physical education.
In 2003, the Arkansas Legislature passed significant legislation that implemented a comprehensive initiative to reduce and prevent overweight among children. Data collected in subsequent school years indicate that Arkansas may have halted the increase in the prevalence of overweight children.
In 2006, the Legislature instructed the Department of Education to develop a wellness curriculum for use by each school district and establish rules and regulations to be followed by the districts in implementing the curriculum. The Legislature also mandated that the State Board of Education adopt regulations defining what products may be sold in vending machines on school campuses and when they can be sold (SB 2602, 2006 Regular Legislative Session).
The State Board of Education subsequently adopted rules and regulations that required schools to develop and implement wellness policies and restricted the products that could be sold in vending machines. Beverage regulations were designed to be phased in over two years beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. Snack regulations will be phased in over three years beginning with the 2006-2007 school year. Under the regulations, all full calorie, sugared carbonated soft drinks can no longer be sold to students in Mississippi schools during the school day. The only beverages that can be sold include bottled water, low-fat or non-fat milk, 100% fruit juices, no/low calorie beverages, and light juices/sports drinks. Standards for snack items vary by the type of snack product, and the Department of Education maintains a list of products that meet state standards.
In 2007, the Legislature passed the Mississippi Healthy Students Act (Mississippi Code of 1972 Annotated Section 37-13-134), which includes the following provisions:
- mandates minimum requirements for health education and physical education in public schools:
- For grades K – 8, 150 minutes per week of physical education and 45 minutes per week of health education, and
- For grades 9 – 12, ½ Carnegie unit in physical education or physical activity for graduation.
- requires local school wellness plans to promote increased physical activity, healthy eating habits, and abstinence from tobacco and illegal drugs;
- designates an appropriation for a physical activity coordinator at the State Department of Education;
- makes the statutory duties of local school health councils mandatory rather than permissive;
- directs the State Board of Education to adopt regulations that address healthy food & beverage choices, healthy food preparation, marketing of healthy food choices to students & staff, food preparation ingredients & products, minimum & maximum time allotments for lunch & breakfast periods, the availability of food items during lunch & breakfast periods, and methods to increase participation in the Child Nutrition School Breakfast & Lunch Programs; and
- provides for the appointment of an advisory committee to advise the State Board of Education in developing these regulations.
The advisory committee held its first meeting in May 2007 and submitted recommendations to the State Board of Education in October 2007. The State Board of Education subsequently adopted Nutrition Standards and Rules and Regulations for Physical Education and Health Education.
The Department of Education is using multiple strategies to support the implementation of the rules and regulations by Mississippi schools:
Additional information on these initiatives can be found through the web site of the Office of Healthy Schools at http://www.healthyschoolsms.org.
With funding from the National Governors’ Association’s Healthy Kids, Healthy America Program, through a project entitled Preventing Obesity with Every Resource (POWER), the State Department of Health conducted an Environmental Scan of Obesity Efforts in Mississippi. The resulting report outlines the many ongoing activities in the state targeting childhood obesity, as well as identifies weaknesses in the state’s overall approach and provides recommendations for improvements.
Childhood obesity is a critical health issue throughout the country and continues to have significant negative impacts in the State of Mississippi. Mississippians recognize the seriousness of the problem and support public policies to address the problem. At least one state, Arkansas, has demonstrated that comprehensive action can halt the rise in child obesity rates. Policymakers in Mississippi have studied the problem and the policies implemented in other states and have taken action to address the issue.
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