Childhood Obesity Rates in Schools with Socioeconomic Differences

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A study performed by Piontak & Schulman (2016) looked at the importance of schools as a site for interventions to prevent childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine how variables measuring the socioeconomic and racial composition of schools and counties affect the rate of obesity in children from third to fifth grade. 

 There was found to be a statistically significant different between schools and counties. There also was a statistical difference between poverty and racial segregation in the same direction. Schools with a high poverty level had an increased rate on the likelihood of obesity. This showed that the students in these schools had a 1.15 times higher change of being obese than the children in the economically integrated schools. Schools that were isolated socioeconomically from the lower income schools were shown to have a lower rate of obesity. It was seen that children in minority segregated schools had higher rates of obesity than the racially diverse schools. This was not as significant when the school level poverty was accounted for. 
This study shows how much of a role school socioeconomic status plays in understanding childhood obesity. Neighborhooding and zoning poverty stricken areas into certain schools can affect the implications of these children’s health. They have less resources in terms of district money and as well as resources to proper education and food access. The results showed the need for these resources in high and medium levels of poverty in order to decrease the amount of childhood obesity and to decrease the differences of health status between these children of different socioeconomic backgrounds. The inequalities of children in schools need to be addressed, and the resources should go to the schools that need it to the most. It shows the need for interventions such as nutrition programs such as breakfast and lunch school programs, farm to school programs and PE interventions that increase physical activity. It also would be important to focus the attention on policy of why these schools are so segregated and working on changing the zones so that it is more equal and provides better opportunities for the students that are in rural/low income communities.

Piontak, J. R., & Schulman, M. D. (2016). School context matters: The impacts of concentrated poverty and racial segregation on childhood obesity. Journal of School Health, 86(12), 864-872. doi:10.1111/josh.12458

LG

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