Report: No big strides against Ohio child obesity

COLUMBUS (AP) — A new report finds that in five years Ohio has made no major headway in the fight against childhood obesity.

The Ohio Department of Health study released Wednesday finds more than 30 percent of the state’s third-graders were overweight or obese during the 2009-2010 school year, about the same as during the 2004-2005 school year.

Fifteen-thousand students from more than 350 Ohio public elementary school were screened for body mass index, a measurement based on weight and height.

The department says in a news release that weight problems and obesity are highest among Ohio children who watch more TV and drink more than one sugary drink per day.

It also found significantly higher rates among black and Hispanic children and those living in the state’s Appalachian counties.