Many of our Center Scientists associated with the Arnold School of Public Health have published an article centered around children’s BMI during summer vacation compared to the school year.
Center Associate Director and CTL Core Lead Scientist Michael Beets, Center Scientists Sarah Burkart, Elizabeth Adams, Glenn Weaver, and Bridget Armstrong, and SDM Core Lead Scientist Alex McLain co-authored “Differences in elementary-age children’s accelerometer-measured physical activity between school and summer: Three-year findings from the What’s UP (Undermining Prevention) With Summer observational cohort study” in International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
The article looks at the multiple factors that influence children’s BMI between summer vacation and the normal school schedule. Children do tend to be more active and less sedentary during the school year when compared to summer vacation. This may lead to an increase in BMI in the summer months. However, the specific changes vary by biological sex, age, and income level, highlighting the complexity of these relationships.
The full text of this publication is available here.
