The report includes BMI data on kindergarten, third, fifth and ninth graders from 213 of Ohio’s more than 600 school districts and nonpublic schools in the 2010-2011 school year. Nearly 35 percent of the children in the data were considered overweight or obese, with the oldest kids having the highest percentage of overweight and obese classmates. But Dr. Andrew Wapner with the Ohio Department of Health says that data can’t be interpreted to mean that a third of all Ohio school kids weigh too much. 

“We’re not using this report to make any statements or generalizations about statewide BMI numbers or percentiles,” Wapner says. “We’re really at this point we just are giving schools sort of – this was an opportunity for us to help schools sort of get a better idea on how they’re collecting the data and help them through the process of collecting better data to meet their needs.”

The Ohio Senate’s leading Democrat sponsored the law that created the BMI screenings, along with Republican former Sen. Kevin Coughlin of Cuyahoga Falls. Minority Leader Eric Kearney says he thinks it’s interesting that this data lines up with both national studies on childhood obesity and with a six-year study the state itself did. And Kearney says he’s happy the state compiled the data in this report. 

“I think people are beginning to realize this is very important, we’ve got to do something about it,” Kearney says. “This provides the state of Ohio with information, and now it’s up to parents to do something about it.”

Part of the reason for the caution about how the data should be used is because about 686 of the more than 1800 districts and schools in Ohio – nearly 40 percent – opted out of the screenings. Wapner says the data can help those schools that participated figure out if the experiments they’re trying, such as offering more opportunities for physical activity, are helpful. And Kearney says he thinks the number of schools doing screenings will rise as more educators and parents get concerned about childhood obesity.