A recent survey shows fewer Bismarck elementary school students are overweight.

The University of Mary survey was given to all third- through sixth-graders in the district, and slightly more than 1,000 students responded. The percentage of students who are overweight for age, height and gender decreased from 12.4 percent of respondents in 2006 to 10 percent of respondents in 2007.

"We wanted to see how the community compared to national statistics," said Jill Nustad, University of Mary exercise science program director.

While the percentage of overweight students decreased, the percentage of students who could be overweight increased. Students who were at the 85th percentile of the body mass index changed from 13.3 percent to 16 percent. This change kept the percentage of students at risk of being overweight and overweight at about a quarter of the respondents each year.

The results of the University of Mary survey show Bismarck elementary students behind the national average for obesity rates when compared to a national survey of high school students, but ahead of North Dakota high school students on the same survey. In 2006, the percentage of at-risk and overweight students was 25.7 percent and in 2007 it was 26 percent.

In 2005, the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 28.8 percent of high school students at risk of being overweight or overweight. In North Dakota, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 24 percent of North Dakota high school students who were at risk of being overweight or overweight. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers of Disease Control asks questions of ninth- through 12th-graders on a variety of questions related to health and behaviors.

The survey also represents the first year of the district's wellness policy. This policy changed what food and beverages were available in schools and what parents groups could sell for fundraisers.

It's why parents received letters from school about what to pack for lunch and snacks.

The goal of the survey is to see if there are trends in behavior related to obesity, Nustad said.

"It was just good luck on our part that we did the survey before the wellness programs were implemented," Nustad said.

It takes about two to five years to see the effects of a wellness program show up in survey data, she said.

In addition to the wellness policy, a community group is working through the schools to get the healthy lifestyle message home. Activate Bismarck Mandan started in fall 2005. This group promotes family health and activity through community events and school activities. It works in three to four schools a year in Bismarck and Mandan.

"I think it really takes a lot of messaging in different ways," said Bill Baumann, YMCA director and organizer of Activate Bismarck Mandan. "Sometimes we reach the child, and they develop their own set of values."

Activate Bismarck Mandan seeks to increase the amount of time children are physically active by getting the whole family active and teach them about healthy lifestyle choices. Sometimes it means the child teaches the parents or adopts the principles of healthy living on their own, he said.

Good choices and role models make a difference when trying to teach children to eat right and be physical active, St. Alexius Medical Center dietitian Kathy Stewart said.

"I think that's important," she said. "Often, they take it home to parents. The more that get the message, the better."

She has seen more healthy snacks in schools and an awareness on wellness issues. It is important to help children keep a healthy weight, because overweight children are more prone to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Stewart said.

Children should have 60 minutes of exercise a day and eat the government-recommended servings from each food group for a balanced diet.

The University of Mary survey shows it could be making a difference. At schools with Activate Bismarck Mandan programs, more students dropped out of the overweight category than in schools that do not participate in Activate Bismarck Mandan. Also, the at-risk category increased by less than the decrease in the overweight category. In other schools, the overweight category decreased, but the at-risk category increased by more than the percentage of decrease in the overweight category.

The number of students who are at risk of being overweight and overweight account for about 23 percent of the Activate Bismarck Mandan schools, while they account for about 27 percent in schools that do not have the program.

"If you want to improve something, you need to focus on it," said Fran Rodenburg, Bismarck Public Schools assistant superintendent of elementary instruction.

In addition to the district's policy, which gives guidelines, each school is tackling the issue of wellness in its own way. Some schools, like Moses and Grimsrud elementary school, have walking programs, Northridge Elementary School switched its Pastries for Parents program to Bagels for Books and Riverside Elementary School has a running club.

The University of Mary survey was given to about 3,300 Bismarck Public School elementary students between third and sixth grades. The first year 1,077 responded and the second year 1,092 responded. Students fill out the survey and have their parents sign it before returning it.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)