USDA funds state obesity rate study for UAMS, Arkansas has nation’s highest rate

Scientists with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute received a federal grant of $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study why the state’s obesity rates is the highest in the nation.

Arkansas now has the highest adult obesity rate in the nation, according to “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America.”

Arkansas’s adult obesity rate in the report was 35.9%, up from 21.9% in 2000 and almost double the 17% in 1995. Colorado has the lowest at 21.3%. U.S. adult obesity rates were steady in the most recent report, rising in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah and remaining stable in the rest.

Obesity rates exceed 35% in Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi, 22 states have rates above 30%, and 45 states are above 25%. The report also notes that every state is above 20%.

THE STUDY
The “Arkansas Active Kids!” study will include two phases over four years. The funds associated with this study stem are from proceeds related to the Tobacco Settlement Act of 2000.

“We want to know, when we look at Arkansas alone, or when we look at the Delta region of the U.S. alone, does that picture look different from the national picture?” said the study’s principal investigator, Judith Weber, director of ACHRI’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program and a professor of pediatrics at UAMS. “Is there something unique about Arkansas? We’re going to look at those environmental and behavioral factors and then delve more into the metabolic and physiological aspects.”

Researchers will analyze existing datasets from the National Survey of Children’s Health and The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System to see what environmental factors predispose Arkansans to obesity and suggest how those can be modified. They will look for socio-demographic and environmental characteristics that affect children’s activity and fitness levels.

Based on what they learn from the existing data, the researchers will then build an in-depth survey to administer to parents of 200 children between the ages of 7 and 10. The children will also undergo fitness and activity testing which will be  led by Elisabet Borsheim, study co-investigator and an associate professor of pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine.

The children in the study will wear accelerometers for a week to assess their free activity and their sleep patterns. Researchers will also study their responses to strength and treadmill tests, gauging the children’s metabolic health in relation to their activity and overall fitness.

RESULTS COULD DRIVE POLICY
The scientists hope the study will reveal the conditions specific to Arkansas that be changed in hopes of reducing obesity rates and improving overall child health across the state.

“You can’t change genetics, but you can change behaviors,” Weber said. “We want to see if living in a rural environment is really more of a risk factor, and if these families had better access to sidewalks, parks or school gymnasiums, if it would make them healthier and more physically fit.”

Until now, there has been little background or foundational research conducted on the specific characteristics of the state that influence obesity rates. This study is closely aligned with Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s “Healthy Active Arkansas” plan, and will inform strategies to address child obesity statewide, ranging from creating denser and more livable communities to ensuring schools offer ample opportunities for physical activity throughout the day.

“The most important part of this research will be the interventions it leads to,” Borsheim said. “We are purposefully trying to connect the behavioral and physiological aspects of the study to create healthier tomorrows for all the children of Arkansas.”