Result 1: Improved Health Status for New Mexicans
P002: Percent of third grade children who are considered obese
Current Value
19.4%
Definition
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Story Behind the Curve
- Childhood obesity occurs when a child is well above the healthy weight for his/her age and height. Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex.
- Obese children are more likely to become obese adults with increased risk of chronic conditions including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. American Indian children have the highest obesity rates among all racial/ethnic groups; by third grade, one-in-two (48.7%) American Indian students is overweight or obese, followed by Hispanics (36%).
- In FY18 Q1, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Office of Nutrition and Physical Activity (ONAPA) randomly selected and recruited 64 public elementary schools statewide to conduct annual BMI surveillance in the fall of 2017.
- ONAPA has built strong partnerships with schools/districts across New Mexico and partners with 8-12 nursing programs statewide to measure kindergarten and third grade students each year.
- Consuming a healthy diet and being physically active can help children grow as well as maintain a healthy weight throughout childhood. Increasing opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity in the school and childcare settings is one way to expose children to healthy lifestyle behaviors at an early age.
Partners
- New Mexico Public Education Department
- New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department
- New Mexico Human Services Department
- New Mexico Department of Transportation
- NMDOH Women, Infants, and Children Program
- New Mexico State University
- University of New Mexico
- NMDOH health promotion
- Schools
- Planning organizations
- Parks and Recreation
- Local/Tribal governments
- Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Roosevelt, San Juan, Socorro counties; pueblos of San Ildefonso, Zuni, Ohkay Owingeh).
What Works
- Improve nutrition quality of foods and beverages served or available in schools consistent with the Institute of Medicine’s Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools (including increased access to fruit, vegetables, and plain drinking water).
- Improve the quality and amount of physical education and activity in schools (including increased physical activity opportunities throughout the school day such as daily recess, mileage clubs, and walk and roll to school programs).
Strategy
- Establish/expand the 5.2.1.O Challenge in elementary schools.
- Establish/expand healthy eating opportunities (fruit and vegetable tastings, salad bars, healthy snacks, edible gardens).
- Establish/expand physical activity opportunities before, during, and after school (schoolyards for open community use, walk and roll to school programs, mileage clubs).
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