PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT INCREASING IN YOUNG CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

CHICAGO—The prevalence of overweight increased from 1989 to 2000 in children aged two to four years from low-income families, according to an article in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to background information in the article, children who are overweight are at risk for diabetes, gall stones, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. As adults, they are also at an increased risk for coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), compared with those not overweight as adolescents.

Bettylou Sherry, Ph.D., R.D., from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, Atlanta, and colleagues examined the change in the prevalence of overweight and underweight in children ages two to four years from low income families participating in federally funded programs. The researchers used state-specific data for participants in the PedNSS program in 1989, 1994, and 2000. They defined overweight as a body mass index (BMI) for age in the 95^th percentile or higher, and underweight as BMI for age in less than the fifth percentile, following CDC growth charts.

The overall trend in the study showed an increased prevalence of overweight in all sex, age, and race/ethnicity groups between 1989 and 2000. Of the 30 states included in the study, 28 had an overweight prevalence of more than 10 percent, compared to 11 states in 1989. Also in 2000, three states had overweight prevalences of more than 15 to 20 percent, while two had prevalences of more than twenty percent. During the study period, underweight decreased, with nine states in 1989 and 23 states in 2000 reporting a prevalence of five percent or less. The researchers did not find a geographic concentration in overweight prevalence.

"In addition, national data representative of the U.S. population also showed increases in overweight prevalence over time, indicating that overweight is a national problem, not a problem exclusively associated with publicly funded programs or low income," write the researchers.

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, December 6, 2004
To contact Michael S. Hurlburt, Ph.D., call Tom Hanscom at 858/966-4901.

YOUNGER CHILDREN IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM COULD BENEFIT FROM SPECIALTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

CHICAGO—Children in the child welfare system, especially younger children and those remaining in their homes, have low rates of mental health services use, according to an article in the December issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, children involved with child welfare systems are at high risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Additionally, many children with mental health problems do not receive care, especially ethnic and minority children, the article states. "Delivery of appropriate and timely mental health services may be an important element in reducing long-term negative consequences for children served by child welfare agencies and in decreasing placement instability among children removed from their homes," the authors write.

Michael S. Hurlburt, Ph.D., of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Children's Hospital, San Diego, and colleagues examined how patterns of specialty mental health service use among children involved with child welfare vary by the degree of coordination between local child welfare and mental health agencies.

The researchers examined mental health services used for one year after contact with child welfare in a national sample of children aged two to 14 years. Child and agency data were collected between October 15, 1999, and April 30, 2001. A total of 2,823 child welfare cases were included.

The researchers found that "only 28.3 percent of children received specialty mental health services during the year." Out-of-home placement, age, and race/ethnicity were strong predictors of service use rates. Additionally, increased coordination between local child welfare and mental health agencies was associated with stronger relationships between poorer measures of mental health and service use, and decreased differences in rates of service use between white and African American children.