Prevalence of Overweight Among Deaf Children

The study examined the prevalence of overweight cases in a sample of 151 deaf children aged 6-11 years. Participants were deaf students attending six elementary schools, both regular and special, in four states. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using height and weight, plotted on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. BMI-for-age growth charts, then compared to national values for same age and gender (CDC, 2006a, 2006b; National Center for Health Statistics, 2005). The results indicated that the prevalence of overweight deaf children aged 6-11 years was above the national percentage for same age and gender. A larger percentage of boys was overweight (24.7%) than girls (20.4%). After age 8 years, girls showed a consistent decrease in BMI with increasing age, a trend not demonstrated by boys. As a group, deaf children demonstrate a higher prevalence of overweight than national averages.