Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children Enrolled in Head Start, 2012–2018

Abstract

Purpose: Determine prevalence of overweight and obesity as reported in Head Start Program Information Reports. Design: Serial cross-sectional census reports from 2012–2018. Setting: Head Start programs countrywide, aggregated from program level to state and national level. Subjects: Population of children enrolled in Head Start with reported weight status data. Measures: Prevalence of overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥85th percentile to <95th percentile) and obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile). Analysis: Used descriptive statistics to present the prevalence of overweight and obesity by state. Performed unadjusted regression analysis to examine annual trends or average annual changes in prevalence. Results: In 2018, the prevalence of overweight was 13.7% (range: 8.9% in Alabama to 20.4% in Alaska). The prevalence of obesity was 16.6% (range: 12.5% in South Carolina to 27.1% in Alaska). In the unadjusted regression model, 34 states and the District of Columbia did not have a linear trend significantly different from zero. There was a statistically significant positive trend in obesity prevalence for 13 states and a negative trend for 3 states. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity and overweight in Head Start children remained stable but continues to be high. Head Start reports may be an additional source of surveillance data to understand obesity prevalence in low-income young children.