Differences in response to obesity prevention and control activities by weight status: Data from the evaluation of Arkansas Act 1220

Obesity is widely recognized as one of the most pressing health threats to families and children across the country. Rates of obesity among adults and children have increased at an alarming rate over recent decades. With the passage of Act 1220 of 2003, Arkansas became a leader in attempts to address childhood obesity. Of primary interest is whether the initiatives spawned by Act 1220 have had a significant impact on students who are overweight and their families. Findings from annual telephone interviews of Arkansas adolescents indicate that overweight students (>=85th age- and gender-adjusted BMI percentile) are more concerned about their weight than peers who are not overweight (< 85th percentile), and are more likely to have started a diet within the past 6 months (46% overweight; 19% not-overweight). Overweight students more frequently reported that they had not purchased beverages from a school-based vending machine within the past month (46%) than their not-overweight peers (26%) but were more likely to report that they drank sodas (71% overweight; 57% not-overweight). Generally, these and other differences between groups appear to have been consistent over the four years of evaluation, suggesting that the student's weight status has not, in most cases, been a significant factor in change. The presentation will include findings from parent interviews, highlight findings of differences between overweight and not-overweight groups, and consider possible explanations for the similarity between the two groups despite statewide efforts to effect change in the higher-risk group of overweight students.