Politics & Government

Study: Benicia Has Lowest Childhood Obesity Rate in Solano County

New research finds 29.9 percent of the city's children fall into the overweight or obese category.

New data shows childhood obesity rates persisting throughout the state, and presents troubling figures on the local level.

Benicia has the lowest rate of childhood obesity in Solano County with 29.9 percent of its children falling into the overweight or obese category. Additionally, the city showed a lower rate of childhood obesity than both the county and the state.

The first of its kind study, conducted jointly by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, breaks down the statistics city by city. It shows 38.4 percent of children in the county are overweight or obese. The figure for California is 38 percent.

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Overweight and Obesity among Children by California City–2010 analyzes more than 250 California cities, finding “shocking discrepancies based on locale,” according to the report.

The cities studied showed a range from nearly 1 in 10 children being overweight or obese on the low end, to more than half of children falling into the category on the high end.

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Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the study used data from the California Department of Education’s 2010 Physical Fitness Tests to examine geographical variation in overweight and obesity among 5th, 7th, and 9th grade school children.

Researchers analyzed 5 cities in the county, and found Benicia to have the lowest range at 29.9 percent, and Suisun City to be the poorest performer with 46.3 percent.

Ranked from highest to lowest, the local statistics are:

  • Suisun City 46.3 percent
  • Vallejo 43.7 percent
  • Fairfield 39.3 percent
  • Vacaville 36.3 percent
  • Benicia 29.9 percent

Policy recommendations urge state and local leaders to improve conditions in schools and communities to help make healthy lifestyle choices easier for children and their parents.

Suggestions include removing high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie foods and beverages from school districts, opening school recreational facilities after hours for community use, and making streets and roadways more accessible for those who walk, bike and use wheelchairs.

To read the findings and policy recommendations, as well as see how all cities ranked, click here.


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