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Summer Weight Gain Among Preschool-Aged Children With Obesity: An Observational Study in Head Start
RESEARCH BRIEF — Volume 18 — March 18, 2021
PEER REVIEWED
Figure.
Mean modified body mass index (BMI) z-score among children who were underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese at enrollment in Head Start. Data are from children enrolled in Head Start in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, Massachusetts, 2016–2019. Estimates are from a single mixed-model with random program-level intercepts and random child-level intercepts and slopes. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals at the beginning of academic year 1, the end of academic year 1, the beginning of academic year 2, and the end of academic year 2. Across all children, mean modified BMI z-score trajectory changed significantly upon the onset of summer (χ2= 108.8, df= 15, P< .001).
| Weight Status | Time From Beginning of Academic Year 1, y | Mean Modified BMI z-Score (95% Confidence Interval) | PValue for Change in Slope From Previous Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight | 0.01 | –2.20 (–2.38 to –2.03) | NA |
| 0.78 | –1.91 (–2.11 to –1.70) | NA | |
| 1.00 | –1.80 (–2.05 to –1.55) | .85 | |
| 1.78 | –1.82 (–2.14 to –1.50) | .36 | |
| Healthy weight | 0.01 | –0.06 (–0.12 to –0.01) | NA |
| 0.78 | 0.06 (0 to 0.12) | NA | |
| 1.00 | 0.06 (–0.01 to 0.13) | .20 | |
| 1.78 | 0.07 (–0.01 to 0.15) | .98 | |
| Overweight | 0.01 | 1.19 (1.10 to 1.28) | NA |
| 0.78 | 1.10 (1.00 to 1.21) | NA | |
| 1.00 | 1.21 (1.08 to 1.33) | .03 | |
| 1.78 | 1.21 (1.05 to 1.37) | .10 | |
| Obese | 0.01 | 2.70 (2.62 to 2.78) | NA |
| 0.78 | 2.48 (2.38 to 2.57) | NA | |
| 1.00 | 2.71 (2.59 to 2.83) | <.001 | |
| 1.78 | 2.62 (2.47 to 2.77) | <.001 |
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