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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Amy C. Cory, MSN, RN, CPNP, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612, 2194623739, acory2@uic.edu

The prevalence of obesity in school-aged children, ages 6 to 11, has more than tripled from 1971-1974 NHANES to 1999-2000 NHANES (Ogden et al, 2002a). The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which differences in the body mass index of children can be explained by school context from kindergarten through third grade. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological perspective of human development was the conceptual framework for this study. A sample of 13,516 children was derived from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten cohort (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K is a national study that focuses on children's early experiences with school from kindergarten through third grade. The data structure is nested—child within classroom within school: data were collected from the child, family, teacher, and school administrators. The conceptual framework and ECLS-K data structure supported the use of hierarchical linear modeling for data analysis. A two-level hierarchical model was established to examine the relationship between school context and the children's body mass index while controlling for known confounding variables. The interclass correlation coefficient showed a positive, increasing trend in the relationship between the children's body mass index and the influence of school context from kindergarten through third grade. The findings from this study provide an initial step toward the development of a more complex hierarchical linear model of the body mass index of children in the context of the family, school, and community. The implications of these findings are important for health policy formation regarding childhood obesity prevention through school health.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the relevance of ecological theory to childhood obesity research.
• Discuss the importance of maintaining consistency between the conceptual framework, data structure, and analytical techniques in secondary analysis of large national data sets.
• Evaluate the impact of the school context on childhood obesity.

Keywords: School Health, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

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