GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION PARTICIPATION AND BMI PERCENTILES : HAVE LEGAL MANDATES MADE A DIFFERENCE?

Abstract

Childhood obesity in the United States of America has become a widespread epidemic. Over 30% of children ages 2 to 19 are overweight as classified by their Body Mass Indexes (BMI) (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008). Prevention and treatment strategies are necessary to reverse this alarming trend. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act using the number of days of physical education participation and BMI percentiles, the standard measurement for overweight classification, as outcomes associated with compliance. Additionally, geographic differences in both variables were analyzed in order to detect variations in wellness policy implementation. This was the first known study to analyze the impact of the legislation using these variables. Archival data from the 2003 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a self-report, school-based survey, were used to analyze differences in reported physical education days and BMI percentiles in participants in 2003 (pre-legislation) versus participants in 2007 (post-legislation). Results of this initial investigation indicate an increasing trend in physical education participation in the West region, including Alaska, Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Idaho. In addition, participants in 2007 in the West reported significantly lower BMI percentiles than participants in 2003, thus indicating the potential for school wellness policies to slow and perhaps reverse the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents.