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Updated: Aug 26, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Childhood overweight in a New York City WIC population
Jennifer A Nelson1, Mary Ann Chiasson, Viola Ford
1Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, Inc (MHRA), USA. jnelson@mhra.org
Insights
Forty percent of young children in a NYC WIC program were overweight or at risk. Hispanic children showed a higher prevalence, indicating a need for culturally specific interventions targeting early childhood obesity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Childhood Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood overweight is a significant public health concern.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for long-term health outcomes.
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) serves a vulnerable population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of overweight and at-risk children aged 2-4 years within a New York City WIC program.
- To identify sociodemographic and nutritional factors associated with childhood overweight in this population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized administrative and survey data from a sample of WIC-enrolled families.
- Calculated Body Mass Index (BMI) for 557 children aged 2, 3, and 4 years.
- Compared BMI percentiles across sociodemographic and nutrition characteristics.
Main Results:
- Forty percent of the children were classified as overweight or at risk (BMI ≥ 85th percentile).
- Hispanic children were more than twice as likely to be overweight or at risk compared to other racial/ethnic groups (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.8, 3.8).
- Two-year-olds had a lower prevalence of overweight compared to 3- and 4-year-olds.
Conclusions:
- Childhood overweight is highly prevalent in this NYC WIC population.
- Culturally specific interventions are needed to address disparities in childhood obesity.
- Interventions should prioritize very young children, particularly those aged 3 and 4 years.
Objectives:
We estimated the prevalence of overweight in a population of young children enrolled in a New York City Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
Methods:
Administrative and survey data were collected from a sample of enrolled families. Body mass index (BMI) of 557 children aged 2, 3, and 4 years was compared by sociodemographic and nutrition characteristics.
Results:
Forty percent of the children were overweight or at risk for overweight (BMI >/= 85th percentile). Compared with other racial/ethnic groups combined, Hispanic children were more than twice as likely (odds ratio = 2.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.8, 3.8) to be overweight or at risk for overweight. Two-year-olds were less likely to be overweight than 3- and 4-year-olds.
Conclusions:
Interventions to address childhood overweight should be culturally specific and target very young children.
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