KUAR | By Ronak Patel
The childhood obesity rate among Arkansas public school students increased by 3.1%, during the 2020-2021 school year, which is significantly higher than typical year-to-year increases, according to a report from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI). The increase coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted life for many.
Since 2003, the state has been able to track students' body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight, through Act 1220, which was signed into law by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican. Passage of Act 1220 created one of the nation’s first statewide, school-focused initiatives to help children reach and maintain a healthy weight, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
42 Bar and Table staffer Melissa Hooper at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.