Changes in body mass during elementary and middle school in a national cohort of kindergarteners.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To analyze changes in BMI, according to gender and race/ethnicity, in a nationally representative cohort of children in the United States during their elementary and middle school years to identify critical periods of excess BMI gains.

Methods

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class monitored a nationally representative cohort of kindergarten students over 9 years (1998-2007). Height and weight measurements were available for 4240 white, 640 black, and 1070 Hispanic children in kindergarten and 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. In each wave, we estimated the proportions of children with BMI values in each quartile of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reference-population distribution according to gender and race/ethnicity. We conducted n

SUBMITTER: Datar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3387897 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature