As West Virginia’s childhood obesity rates continue to rank among the highest in the nation, groups at West Virginia University are taking decisive action to encourage physical activity and healthy eating through the West Virginia Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) Project.
CARDIAC school-based screenings performed in 26 West Virginia counties during the 2022–23 school year found 32 percent of kindergarteners, 40 percent of second graders and 49.6 percent of fifth graders were either overweight or obese (according to Centers for Disease Control parameters). Evidence for the risk of pre-diabetes was found in 3.2 percent of kindergarteners, 5.6 percent of second graders and 8 percent of fifth graders.