Overweight and Physical Inactivity Among Rural Children Aged 10-17: A National and State Portrait

Date
05/2007
Description

Recent studies have found that the tide of child obesity is rising faster in rural communities in several states, including Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Michigan, West Virginia, and North Carolina. This report examines the presence of overweight and obesity among children in both rural and urban settings using the data from a recent national survey, the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). In 2003, 30.6% of children aged 10-17 years old were overweight, 14.8% of which were obese. Rural children (16.5%) were more likely to be obese than urban children (14.4%).

Center
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Authors
Jihong Liu, Kevin Bennett, Nusrat Harun, Xia Zheng, Janice Probst, Russell Pate