During the month of March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages healthful eating and physical activity habits. For many Rochester-area residents, however, this may not be possible.
Recent data available from the Rochester RHIO (Regional Health Information Organization) show that many children in our region suffer from obesity. And, while childhood obesity is a complex and multifaceted issue, environment and access to healthy foods play a critical role. Area organizations such as Foodlink and 211 are regional resources for food access, especially during this time when many people are struggling.
For the 13-county Finger Lakes region, the overall percentage of children whose weight is above the 95th percentile during 2018 was 19%. There is variability across our region, with averages by county ranging from 17% to 26%. For comparison, the CDC reports U.S. prevalence of obesity is 19%.
Visit the map room to see more detail; you may also see these data in combination with other data sources (such as BRFSS and HRSA) about physical activity and diet.
RocHealthData is collaborating with Common Ground Health and Rochester RHIO to make these data accessible to the public. Common Ground Health provides reports and county comparisons through their Insights portal.
The complete Community Indicators data are available for download, are summarized by county, age, and sex, and include additional clinical measures of obesity, smoking, blood pressure, and diabetes.
RocHealthData Team
More information about these regional Childhood Obesity measures can be found in a recent issue of The Batavian: https://www.thebatavian.com/press-release/new-tracking-tool-helps-communities-assess-childhood-obesity-trends/564306