12% of Hawaii children are obese, study finds

An estimated 13,800 Hawaii children ages 10 to 17 are obese, according to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The state’s obesity rate for this group has hovered around 11.5% in recent years, tying for seventh lowest in the nation with Connecticut. Nationally, there are 4.8 million obese children in the same age group, or 15.3%, with obesity.

“(The local rate) remains higher than it should be. Four or five decades ago it was 5% or less,” said Dr. May Okihiro, a pediatrician at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and a childhood obesity researcher at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. “We definitely know that in some of our communities — the rural communities and in certain ethnic groups — the rate is much higher.”

Many families in economically disadvantaged communities can’t afford healthier foods and have a harder time accessing physical activity programs, she said.

“There’s more and more research about the chronic stress of poverty that many people in Hawaii face that adds to your risk of developing obesity and all the chronic diseases that go with it, like diabetes and heart disease,” she said, adding that society has also significantly changed with the advent of technology, including online video games and mobile technology, which keep kids sedentary.

“Our lifestyles have changed dramatically over the last several generations. We use more electronics, have options of fast food or quick food more readily available, and more parents work so there’s less home-cooked meals.”

To make matters worse, more than 3,000 Hawaii households could lose their food stamps under new restrictions proposed by the Trump administration, according to the state Department of Human Services. The changes could also jeopardize free school lunches for thousands of students.

Reducing childhood obesity requires policy changes at every level of government, said Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, adding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture should rescind the proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, because it would cause millions of recipients to lose benefits.

“These new data show that this challenge touches the lives of far too many children in this country,” he said.

The obesity rate among Hawaii high school students is even higher at 14.2% and increases with age, according to the report, which used data from the 2017 and 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health. The state’s adult obesity rate rose to 24.9% from 15.7% in 2000 and 8.9% in 1990.

“It’s a huge problem,” Okihiro said. “We definitely have to continue to figure out sustainable, effective strategies, to make healthier options easier for everyone in Hawaii, especially since we know that the rate of adult obesity in Hawaii continues to climb.”

The state Health Department in recent years instituted a wellness policy in public schools to offer more healthful lunch options, eliminate sugary drinks and snacks on campus and incorporate more physical activity. There have also been efforts to create walkable communities and gardens, as well as more healthful meal options at restaurants.