The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between body mass index and school absence. The research was a retrospective study of school nurse height and weight reports and attendance reports for 2nd grade Hispanic students at an elementary school in Riverside, California.

Incidence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically within the last 30 years. Childhood obesity is of concern because of the associated health problems, and because childhood obesity often tracks into adulthood. There is a clear association between activity-level and obesity. Therefore, it is important to consider physical activity patterns in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. Childhood is a key time period to intervene in the formation of habits and patterns associated with physical activity that may reduce obesity. To date, few studies have focused on the level of examining obese children individually. This case study focused on the physical activity patterns of 4 obese 6-10 year olds (two boys, two girls). All of the participants were above the 99th percentile for weight and had a body fat percentage exceeding 45%. Lipid profiles of the participants revealed that three of the four had high total cholesterol, indicating an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. All of the participants were close to or exceeded the waist to hip ratio value that indicates very high risk for cardiovascular and related diseases (>0.82 for boys, >0.94 for girls). Use of the Caltrac accelerometer, KIHD 24-Hour Total Physical Activity Record and System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time revealed that the obese 6-10 year old participants averaged 1.85 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per lunch recess time. When extrapolated, the data revealed that the participants spend less than 20 minutes a day in MVP A. This is less than MVP A norms of children in the same age group. The obese participants were not meeting the current recommendations for 60 minutes or more a day for MVPA. Furthermore, the activity patterns of the participants differ from those of normal weight children. Although children in general and the participant's tend to choose low level activity over MVP A, the participants spent more than 16.5 hours per day in sedentary physical activity, which is more than their normal weight counterparts (10.4 +/- 0.8).

Investigates parental perceptions of overweight or obese children who receive services from the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program in San Bernardino County, California. Study design was based on a qualitative ethnographic interview technique in which a moderator guided between 6-12 individuals through a discussion of a particular topic. Results indicate that the parents interviewed were highly concerned with the health of their children and family, but do not perceive their child to be at an immediate health risk. In addition, most felt their children's weight to be "normal" in spite of any physical findings that suggested otherwise.

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent physical education programs are being implemented in a Southern California school district, in an effort to increase physical activity and decrease obesity among students. This study also identified factors that either contributed to, or detracted from, implementation.