RESUMO
The burgeoning problem of overweight and obesity in US children, adolescents, and adults has reached epidemic proportions. Data from the CRRIC I study conducted in 2000 in Jackson, Mississippi among elementary African-American children indicated that 39% of the boys and 49% of the girls had BMIs at or above the 85th percentile. The current study replicated CRRIC I in a sample of 113 African American Children in the third and fourth grades in the rural town of Canton, Mississippi. Results revealed that 46% of the boys and 46% of the girls had BMI at or above the 85th percentile. Fitness profile results revealed that only 11% of the children were classified as fit, 84% were classified as fair, and 5% were deemed unfit. As in CRRIC I, health histories of grandparents were positive for the comorbities of overweight and obesity: diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. These data indicate a critical need to aggressively intervene to impact the lifestyle choices of this generation.