DATAR, ASHLESHA, ROLAND STURM, AND JENNIFER L. MAGNABOSCO. Childhood overweight and academic performance: national study of kindergartners and first-graders. Obes Res. 2004;12:58 -68. Objective: To examine the association between children's overweight status in kindergarten and their academic achievement in kindergarten and first grade. Research Methods and Procedures:The data analyzed consisted of 11,192 first time kindergartners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample of kindergartners in the U.S. in 1998. Multivariate regression techniques were used to estimate the independent association of overweight status with children's math and reading standardized test scores in kindergarten and grade 1. We controlled for socioeconomic status, parent-child interaction, birth weight, physical activity, and television watching. Results: Overweight children had significantly lower math and reading test scores compared with nonoverweight children in kindergarten. Both groups were gaining similarly on math and reading test scores, resulting in significantly lower test scores among overweight children at the end of grade 1. However, these differences, except for boys' math scores at baseline (difference ϭ 1.22 points, p ϭ 0.001), became insignificant after including socioeconomic and behavioral variables, indicating that overweight is a marker but not a causal factor. Race/ethnicity and mother's education were stronger predictors of test score gains or levels than overweight status. Discussion: Significant differences in test scores by overweight status at the beginning of kindergarten and the end of grade 1 can be explained by other individual characteristics, including parental education and the home environment. However, overweight is more easily observable by other students compared with socioeconomic characteristics, and its significant (unadjusted) association with worse academic performance can contribute to the stigma of overweight as early as the first years of elementary school.

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Objective: To examine the link between childhood overweight status and elementary school outcomes. Design: Prospective study design: multivariate regression models examining the association between changes in overweight status and school outcomes between kindergarten entry and end of third grade, after controlling for various child, family and school characteristics. Subjects: Nationally representative sample of US children who entered kindergarten in 1998, with longitudinal data on body mass index (BMI) and school outcomes at kindergarten entry and end of third grade. Measurements: Wide range of elementary school outcomes collected in each wave including academic achievement (math and reading standardized test scores); teacher reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (BP), social skills (selfcontrol, interpersonal skills) and approaches to learning; school absences; and grade repetition. Measurements of height and weight in each wave were used to compute BMI and indicators of overweight status based on CDC growth charts. A rich set of control variables capturing child, family, and school characteristics. Results: Moving from not-overweight to overweight between kindergarten entry and end of third grade was significantly associated (Po0.05) with reductions in test scores, and teacher ratings of social-behavioral outcomes and approaches to learning among girls. However, this link was mostly absent among boys, with two exceptions -boys who became overweight had significantly fewer externalizing BPs (Po0.05), but more absences from school compared to boys who remained normal weight. Being always-overweight was associated with more internalizing BP among girls but fewer externalizing BPs among boys. Conclusion: Change in overweight status during the first 4 years in school is a significant risk factor for adverse school outcomes among girls but not boys. Girls who become overweight during the early school years and those who start school being overweight and remain that way may need to be monitored carefully. IntroductionThe dramatic rise in childhood overweight in recent years has sparked numerous research studies that have examined the consequences of overweight at young ages on health and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood.1-4 A number of studies have also examined health consequences in childhood and adolescence, in particular, psychological outcomes such as self-esteem and depression. [5][6][7][8][9] Less is known, however, about how childhood overweight might affect children's school outcomes. As children spend a significant amount of time in school daily it is possible that the effects of being overweight are felt in various aspects of school-life, including academic achievement, social skills, and attendance. There are multiple pathways through which this effect might transfer. First, being overweight may lower self-esteem and body image and make it harder for children to concentrate or be attentive in class, thereby preventing them from learning in school. This psychosocial aspect has be...

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Mothers’ work hours are likely to affect their time allocation towards activities related to children’s diet, activity and well-being. For example, mothers who work more may be more reliant on processed foods, foods prepared away from home and school meal programs for their children’s meals. A greater number of work hours may also lead to more unsupervised time for children that may, in turn, allow for an increase in unhealthy behaviors among their children such as snacking and sedentary activities such as TV watching. Using data on a national cohort of children, we examine the relationship between mothers’ average weekly work hours during their children’s school years on children’s dietary and activity behaviors, BMI and obesity in 5th and 8th grade. Our results are consistent with findings from the literature that maternal work hours are positively associated with children’s BMI and obesity especially among children with higher socioeconomic status. Unlike previous papers, our detailed data on children’s behaviors allow us to speak directly to affected behaviors that may contribute to the increased BMI. We show that children whose mothers work more consume more unhealthy foods (e.g. soda, fast food) and less healthy foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables, milk) and watch more television. Although they report being slightly more physically active, likely due to organized physical activities, the BMI and obesity results suggest that the deterioration in diet and increase in sedentary behaviors dominate.