Summertime and Weight Gain
A research brief from the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) that looks at student weight gain, nutrition and health during the summer months. The research is based on a survey of 5,000 students in 300 schools.
Interesting Findings:
- Children gain body mass index (BMI) nearly twice as fast during the summer as during the school year (von Hippel, Powell, Downey, and Rowland, 2007).
- Black and Hispanic children, and children who are already overweight, experience healthier BMI gain during the school year. (von Hippel et al., 2007).
- According to the Food Research Action Council, only 1 in 5 children in 2006 who received free or reduced price meals during the previous school year did so during the summer (2007).
The research suggests that the summer months play a much larger role in children’s weight gain than previously assumed. In contrast, the diets and activity levels during the school year help to limit weight gain.
Read the research brief to learn more about what’s happening to kids during the summer and how summer learning programs can offer healthier diets that limit summer weight gain.
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