A new University of Kansas study indicates that community investments in programs to address childhood obesity are making a difference among U.S. students. 

The Healthy Communities Study, conducted between 2010 and 2016, looked at community policies and programs in 130 U.S. communities, linking them to the weight status, eating habits and physical activity of 5,138 elementary and middle school students in those locales. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 U.S. school-age children and young people ages 6 to 19 years suffers from obesity, a tripling of such numbers since the 1970s. 

The study found that the intensity of community programs and policies is significantly associated with lower body mass index (BMI) measures. Additionally, researchers concluded that more comprehensive programs — those targeting a greater number of distinct behaviors related to physical activity and nutrition — were associated with lower child BMI. 

“This study has important implications for communities trying to assure a healthy environment for its children,” the study’s lead researcher, Stephen Fawcett, said. “It suggests: Invest in programs and policies to promote physical activity and nutrition — lots of them, of strong form and reach, and targeted to the many different kinds of behaviors that promote healthier weight.” 

For a community that goes from the minimum observed intensity score to the maximum, its children would see a reduction of 1.4 BMI units, the study found. 

Disparities were found in the results based on ethnic backgrounds. Communities that were predominately white benefited more from programs and policies than those that were predominately African-American, with the least improvement in BMI seen for Hispanic children.