Student Weight Status Data
The Student Weight Status Category Reporting System was established by amendments to New York State Education Law in 2007 to support state and local efforts to understand and confront the problem of childhood obesity. Amendments to Education Law required student health certificates to include students' body mass index (BMI) and weight status categories. Currently, students in Kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 7 and 10 are required to have a student health certificate completed based on a physical examination (usually performed by the student's personal physician). Information, including BMI and weight status category - underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese (based on BMI determined from measured height and weight), is collected by each school from the student health certificate forms. A summary from each school is reported to the District and then to the State Health Department, using a secure reporting system.
More than 97 percent of New York State public schools outside New York City reported data. (New York City schools are exempt from state education law that requires this data to be reported to the State Health Department. The New York City Department of Education has developed a system of routinely monitoring students to determine weight status using NYC FITNESSGRAM, a fitness assessment and reporting program for children attending public schools in New York City, in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
- Student Weight Status Category Report: 2008-2010 - New York State (Exclusive of New York City)
- Student Weight Status Category Report: 2008-2009 - New York State (Exclusive of New York City)
Student Weight Status Category Reporting Survey Results:
County-Level Report, 2008-2010
The "Student Weight Status Category Reporting Survey Results: County-Level Report, 2008-2010" summarizes data reported from schools to the New York State Department of Health during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. Data from schools within a county were weighted by enrollment and aggregated to produce estimates of the prevalence of overweight, obesity, healthy weight and underweight among students. Estimates are provided for all reportable grades combined within the county and by grade groups (elementary, middle/high school) and grade (second, fourth, seventh, tenth). Information about the number of schools and school districts contributing data to the county-estimates, the enrollment in those schools and the completeness of reporting (percent of enrolled students for whom weight status data were reported) are also provided.
This report represents the first time information on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children is being released for each New York State county outside of New York City.