What Is the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and its Relationship to Physical Activity in Children

The purpose of this research project is to see if there is a relationship between the amount of physical activity a child gets during the week and their BMI. Previous studies have revealed an increase in the occurrence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity, and associations have been identified between physical activity, sedentary behaviors, dietary patterns and students perceptions of overweight and obesity (Tremblay, 2003). This research study was a casual comparative validation study due to the secondary data that was collected by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Overweight and obesity are determined by the BMI that is calculated by using an individual\u27s height and weight and yields a reliable manner of determining body fatness(U.S. Department, 2007).. Physical activity was measured in the number of hours per week, no physical activity, one to three hours, three to five, five to ten, and greater than ten hours per week. The methodology used the Chi-square test to determine if there is an association between BMI and the categorized amount of time. The analysis of the data indicated that a relationship exist between physical activity and BMI. The results show that the time children spend hourly in physical activity on a weekly basis is associated with their BMI of underweight, healthy-weight, overweight, or obese. The focus for Healthcare Service Administrators should be on future strategies of treatment and prevention and to educate physicians, parents, and their children about the direct and indirect effects of overweight and obesity