Global News

Monday September 06, 2010

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40% New York Kids: Obese & Overweight – A recent report has stated that 40% of children in New York are obese or overweight. that is nearly half of all of the young people in the state. The study of childhood obesity is the largest in the history of the city, and covered kindergartners through eighth graders, which equated to more than 250,000 kids. The data has startled many in the community, and has raised a number of questions about physical education within the city.

The report was based on Fitnessgram assessments. The obesity levels were dependent on neighborhood, with certain ethnic groups having much higher obesity levels. The neighborhoods were determined by zip code. In the West side zip code of 10069, less than 12% of kids were found to be obese or overweight. In 11368, that number shot to 51% of children.

One parent who was interviewed speculated that neighborhoods with large amounts of fast food restaurants would have the highest amount of obese and overweight children. A number of other neighborhoods including Washington Heights and Williamsburg showed percentages over 45%.*Sponsored Links* Officials have said that the geographic divide in obesity is disappointing, but is not all that surprising. The more-obese neighborhoods tend to be the neighborhoods that are impoverished or have a lower average income. it will be interesting to see how the data goes on to change the way that the city handles physical education and the lunch systems within schools. 40% is a very high number for children, and can lead to lasting effects.