My Overweight Child: Childhood Obesity Rates Rise in South Dakota

Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Childhood Obesity Rates Rise in South Dakota

South Dakota's most recent height and weight survey found that overweight and obesity have risen among the state's children. For the 2008-09 school year, the Argus-Leader newspaper reported, 33.6 percent of South Dakota students were overweight or obese:

The survey defines obese as above the 95th percentile body mass index-for-age when compared to children of the same age and gender. Overweight is between the 85th and 94th percentiles.

Kristin Biskeborn, a state nutritionist, acknowledges that South Dakota has much work remaining in the effort to address obesity issues. She also acknowledges that the issue of childhood obesity didn’t spring up overnight, and won’t be solved overnight either.

Labels: childhood_obesity, south dakota