Survey confirms child obesity trouble

About one in four Nevada kindergartners is obese, according to a recent report, which might seem startling but doesn't surprise Diana Taylor.

The survey merely substantiates what has been an obvious problem for years, said the director of health services for the Clark County School District. And obesity is just the beginning.

"We're seeing more medically fragile students in general," Taylor said.

One in four kindergartners has a medical condition requiring special treatment, according to a report by all Nevada school districts, the Nevada State Health Division and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Clark County students account for 65 percent of the data, making the statewide statistics very similar to the local numbers.

The annual report, in its third and final year, gathered health data of children entering the school system, so their changes can be tracked as they age.

Almost half of incoming kindergartners have a cavity, and one-fourth haven't seen a dentist in the past 12 months, even though the recommended time between visits is six months.

Children in dental pain is an issue the Clark County district deals with every day, Taylor said. Nurses, unable to relieve the pain, leaf through the yellow pages to find a dentist willing to do a favor.

"They don't give up until they can find care," she said, which is a challenge because parents of those children don't have dental insurance to pay the bill.

That might be a root of the problem, she suggested.

"More families are earning less compared to the previous two years," the report said.

Sixteen percent of students have no health insurance, and 80 percent have a primary-care provider and received a medical checkup in the past year, meaning the inability to afford care or insurance might not be the sole root of health concerns.

Lifestyle might be one of the culprits, said Amanda Haboush, research analyst at UNLV's Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy. Haboush put the report together using survey responses from parents. And she has talked with many teachers and schools along the way.

She said schools are glad to have the hard numbers, not just anecdotes, so they can push for wellness education to teach the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.

With the obese students, about one in 10 kindergartners are overweight, and 15 percent are underweight. That leaves only half of kindergartners at a healthy weight, according to the survey.

No matter the reasons for kindergartners' fragile health and body weight, it affects education, Taylor said.

"They cannot learn if they're not feeling well, hungry or tired from poor nutrition," she said.

"They become preoccupied. They cannot learn. And we cannot not provide care. It's an ongoing challenge. We need to never give up."

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at
tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.