Childhood Obesity

Contents:

Research conducted by: RAND Child Policy; RAND Health

All Items (41)

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Influence of Peers and Friends on Children's and Adolescents' Eating and Activity Behaviors — Jun 1, 2012

In this article, we synthesize the empirical literature on the influence of peers and friends on youth's eating and physical activity.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Junk Foods in Schools and Childhood Obesity — Apr 1, 2012

The availability of junk food does not significantly increase BMI or obesity among a group of fifth-graders even though they are likely to buy junk food.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Does Neighborhood Food Environment Predict Youth Diets? — Feb 29, 2012

It's widely assumed that living near fast-food restaurants and convenience stores encourages overconsumption, while supermarkets encourage healthier diets. However, an analysis found no robust link between food environment and consumption in youths, indicating a more complicated relationship than some theories suppose.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Kids Are Gaining More Weight During the Elementary School Years — Nov 30, 2011

Nearly 40% of a nationally representative cohort of children started kindergarten with a BMI in the top quartile of the growth charts. This proportion increased significantly between 1st and 3rd grades but there was no further increase during middle school.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Coexistence of Obesity and Anemia in Children Between 2 and 18 Years of Age in Mexico — Nov 1, 2011

This article carries out a secondary data analysis to determine the frequency of anemia in different categories of body mass index (BMI) and the frequency in which obesity and anemia co-occurred in children between 2 and 18 years of age.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Increasing the Availability and Consumption of Drinking Water in Middle Schools: A Pilot Study — Apr 30, 2011

The authors assessed the acceptability, feasibility, and outcomes of a school-based intervention to improve drinking water consumption among adolescents.

COMMENTARY

Worth Its Weight in Gold? — Apr 21, 2011

In terms of healthcare use and chronic health conditions, obesity is comparable to aging 20 years, with the health of a 30 year old resembling that of a 50 year old, writes Roland Sturm.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Regional Price Differences and Food Consumption Frequency Among Elementary School Children — Jan 31, 2011

Geographic variation in food prices across the US affects youth's consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk; price variation does not seem to affect consumption of fast food or soft drinks, perhaps because consumption is less price sensitive.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Role of School Physical Activity Programs in Child Body Mass Trajectory — Jan 31, 2011

Meeting the national recommendation for physical education and recess at school can help prevent obesity in children.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Preliminary Healthy Eating Outcomes of SNaX, a Pilot Community-Based Intervention for Adolescents — Jan 31, 2011

This project developed and designed Students for Nutrition and eXercise (SNaX), an intervention aimed at translating school obesity-prevention policies into practice with peer advocacy of healthy eating and school cafeteria changes.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Mediators of Maternal Depression and Family Structure on Child BMI: Parenting Quality and Risk Factors for Child Overweight — Dec 31, 2010

Family environment—including parenting quality—is an important factor in influencing children's leisure activities, and thus interventions for child obesity may be more successful if they focus on family environment and its effect on children's active and sedentary behaviors.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Homophily and Contagion as Explanations for Weight Similarities Among Adolescent Friends — Dec 31, 2010

Weight-based similarities among friends stem from marginalization of overweight adolescents by their peers. These findings highlight the importance of modeling friendship selection processes when estimating social influence effects on adiposity.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Small Taxes on Soft Drinks Insufficient to Substantially Curb Soda Consumption Among Children — Mar 31, 2010

Small sales taxes on soft drinks in the range currently in force in some states are insufficient to reduce consumption of soda or curb obesity among children. Such small taxes may reduce consumption in among children at greater risk for obesity, but reducing consumption for all children would require larger taxes.

REPORT

Evaluating the Impacts of School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies on Child Health — Jan 25, 2010

Evaluates the impact of elementary school policies on child health behaviors and obesity in the United States.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Facility Provision in Elementary Schools: Correlates with Physical Education, Recess, and Obesity — Dec 31, 2009

The objectives were to: (1) document correlations among facility provision (availability and adequacy) in elementary schools, child sociodemographic factors, and school characteristics nationwide; and (2) investigate whether facility provision

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Identify Potential Interventions to Overcome Barriers to Adolescents' Healthy Eating and Physical Activity — Sep 30, 2009

Using a community-based participatory research approach, we explored adolescent, parent, and community stakeholder perspectives on barriers to healthy eating and physical activity, and intervention ideas to address adolescent obesity.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Weight Status, Quality of Life, and Self-Concept in African American, Hispanic, and White Fifth-Grade Children — Dec 31, 2008

This study examined the association between weight status and quality of life (QOL) in fifth-grade African American, Hispanic, and white children and the potential mediation of this relationship by self-concept.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Influences of Physical and Social Neighborhood Environments on Children's Physical Activity and Obesity — Dec 31, 2008

The authors investigated the association between physical and social neighborhood environments and fifth-grade students' physical activity and obesity.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Food Prices and Weight Gain During Elementary School: 5-Year Update — Oct 31, 2008

Childhood overweight has increased rapidly over the last two decades. Energy-dense foods are cheaper per calorie, which could be a partial explanation for why the highest rates of obesity are observed among groups of limited economic means.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Pediatric Obesity: The Unique Issues in Latino-American Male Youth — Dec 31, 2007

A literature review from three major databases reveals that obesity rates for Latino male children and adolescents are higher than for other major gender-ethnic groups. Obese Latino male youth are also prone to obesity-related morbidities.

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Researcher Spotlight

Homero Martinez

Adjunct

Homero Martinez

Homero Martínez is an adjunct senior natural scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he is building an international health research agenda with special focus on Latin America. Martínez has set up partnerships with different institutions, including a capacity training program…

Sarah Salvy

Behavioral/Soc Sci, Full

Sarah Salvy

Sarah Salvy is a behavioral and social scientist with the RAND Corporation. Her training is in clinical psychology and in experimental social psychology, and her research focuses largely on eating behaviors and related issues. Specific areas of interest include obesity, eating/feeding disorders,…

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