Childhood Obesity

Obesity among Arkansas public school students rises to record level

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.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-03-22/obesity-among-arkansas-public-school-students-rises-to-record-level

Arkansas Nonprofit News Network

42 Bar and Table staffer Melissa Hooper at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.

Arkansas Children’s Research Institute Gets $11.5 Million To Study Obesity Prevention

By TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS STAFF

Scientists at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will continue studying the impacts of childhood obesity after the National Institutes of Health awarded $11.5 million in renewed funding to the ACRI Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention.

The grant will fund further improvements to the center’s existing research infrastructure and ensure development of more scientists with expertise in childhood obesity.

Led by Dr. Judith Weber, the multidisciplinary Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention anchors the pediatric obesity program at Arkansas Children’s. Weber also serves as associate dean for research and a professor in the UAMS College of Nursing, as well as a professor in the pediatrics.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-children-s-research-institute-gets-115-million-study-obesity-prevention

Arkansas Children's HospitalCREDIT MICHAEL HIBBLEN / KUAR NEWS

Arkansas Children's Hospital

CREDIT MICHAEL HIBBLEN / KUAR NEWS