Population-level trends analyses of childhood obesity in California: Do contextual factors modify the trends?

Childhood obesity is a significant threat to the long-term health and well-being of American children, and one of the most pressing health issues facing the United States. Preventing obesity, especially during childhood is at the core of promoting health and wellness across the lifespan. In the past decade, there has been growing interest in environmental and policy approaches as a potential means to prevent childhood obesity at the population level. To monitor progress and accelerate childhood obesity prevention, unique datasets that enable examination of population-wide patterns and creative statistical methods are crucial. Using data from the California Physical Fitness Test Scores combined with Census data, this presentation will (a) demonstrate how population level trends analyses can be used as a statistical method to generate estimates of childhood obesity prevalence over a ten year period (2001-2010); (b) examine the extent to which contextual factors modify the time trends in childhood obesity prevalence among children attending California public schools; (c) discuss the strengths and limitations of population-level childhood obesity trends analyses; and (d) outline potential methodological implications for childhood obesity research and future child obesity prevention efforts.