Childhood Obesity in Mississippi: Prevalence and Trends

The Child and Youth Prevalence of Obesity Study (CAYPOS) has been conducted biennially from 2005 through 2017 by researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Jerome Kolbo.  The multi-year study uses school nurses to collect height and weight measurements on a representative sample of public school students statewide in grades K through 12 in order to determine the prevalence of obesity among public school students and examine trends.  One of the key findings of the … Read more...

Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act on Childhood Obesity

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy collaborated with researchers from three Mississippi universities — The University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and The University of Mississippi — to evaluate the impact of the 2007 Mississippi Healthy Students Act on childhood obesity in the state.  The research was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Bower Foundation and was conducted from 2008 through 2012.  The final report, entitled Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act: Year Read more...

Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act on Childhood Obesity: Year 3 Research

University of Southern Mississippi researchers have found a significant decline in the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity among elementary age students in Mississippi public schools. The rate dropped from 43.0 percent in 2005 to 37.3 percent in 2011. Data from the 2011 Child and Youth Prevalence of Obesity Study (CAYPOS) also documented a significant drop in the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity for white students, but not for black students. Rates for all students in all grades have … Read more...

Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act on Childhood Obesity: Year Two Research

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy has released a report summarizing key findings from the second year of research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Bower Foundation, evaluating the impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act.  The Year Two Report, Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act, presents the results of studies conducted by three Mississippi universities that provide valuable information for educators and policy-makers as they look toward the next few years of … Read more...

Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act on Childhood Obesity: Year 1 Research

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy has released a report summarizing key findings from the first year of research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Bower Foundation, evaluating the impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act.  The report, Assessing the Impact of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act, presents the results of studies conducted by three Mississippi universities that provide valuable information for educators and policy-makers as they look toward the next three years of the Act’s … Read more...