Weight and Socioeconomic Status Among Middle School Students

Thesis (M.Nurs.), College of Nursing, Washington State UniversityIntroduction: Family, neighborhood and school environment influences on weight status in middle school students have been studied, but no study has described weight status in students enrolled or not enrolled in free and reduced lunches (FRL). The purpose of this study was to describe differences in body mass index (BMf) percentiles among middle school students and socioeconomic status (SES) among families. Potential neighborhood factors were explored to explain possible differences in school environments. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional survey of all 3,634, 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in six middle schools during the 2007-2008 academic years. BMI was calculated, windshield surveys analyzed neighborhoods, and SPSS version 17.0 was used to examine the study variables. Results: High SES schools had 36.5% students on FRL, while 63.5% had paid meals, whereas low SES schools had 71.3% students on FRL and 28.7% students on paid meals. Weight status measurements in high SES schools showed 67.4% of students were within the recommended range, 16.9% were overweight, and 15.7% were obese, while weight status in low SES schools showed 59.6% of students within the recommended range, 17.7% overweight, and 22.7% obese. Conclusion: Significant findings included a difference in high and low SES schools as determined by FRL statistics when examining weight status. This public health issue reinforces the intluences of SES on BMI in the youth