Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic in the country. It is linked to a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes among others. It is important to initiate preventive strategies at an early age since majority of overweight school-age children remain obese as adults. Our objective was to determine the body perception, diet, and level of physical activity of middle school children in central Pennsylvania and compare responses of overweight and normal weight children.
Methods: A 22-item survey questionnaire was provided to 126 children aged 11-14 years whose body mass indices were computed. As part of the survey, we validated the modified Baecke questionnaire which assesses each child’s participation in sports and leisure time physical activities.
Results: 39.7% (50 / 126) of the middle school children were overweight (BMI > 85th percentile). Compared to normal weight children, overweight children felt less happy with their bodies and had less energy the past four weeks (p=<.001 and 0.03). They also had a tendency to miss breakfast (p=0.07). The frequency of eating out and television viewing was not statistically different between the two groups. Although both groups had similar leisure time physical activities, the normal weight children were found to have a higher sports participation index (p=0.049).
Conclusion: Overweight middle school children had a more negative attitude towards body image and participated less in sports compared to normal weight children. Efforts should be focused on increasing vigorous physical activities in children especially in the school setting.