P R Health Sci J
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Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic; its prevalence has quadrupled in the US among children from 6-11 y/o. In the US, Hispanic children have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to non-Hispanic whites. No representative data was available for Puerto Rican children from first to sixth grades in Puerto Rico or the US. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of childhood obesity among Puerto Rican children from first to sixth grade by different socio-demographic characteristics in a sub-urban municipality in Puerto Rico. ⋯ This study documents a high prevalence of Puerto Rican childhood obesity among first to sixth grade regardless of grade level and gender, which is higher than the prevalence among Hispanics in the US. A higher probability of overweight was seen among the poorer children. This is the first study conducted among first to sixth graders. Thus, it calls for attention towards Puerto Rican children in the island and the US.