Belle Fourche is bucking the trend when it comes to overweight kids.

At South Park Elementary School in Belle Fourche, physical education instructor Theresa Adel has seen the school's overweight rate drop to more than two percent below the state average.

"We have a community center that has an indoor track, pool and gym that families can be members of. The facility is also used by the after-school program," she said.

Tessa Anderson-Voyles, program coordinator at the Belle Fourche Area Community Center, said the community center has received about $7,000 in state grants for this school year for their Fit and Fun Camp Oasis after-school program. About 25 elementary school children are enrolled in the program Mondays through Thursdays, and about 40 are enrolled Fridays. Camp Oasis has about 40 in their full-day summer program.

In addition to physical exercise, the program works to improve knowledge about exercise and nutrition. It involves parents as well as school children.

State nutritionist Kristin Biskeborn said South Dakotans are ignorant if they believe that obesity isn't a concern in the state.

"Obesity is a problem all over the world," she said.

The South Dakota Department of Health, in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Education, has been collecting height and weight data on students since the 1998-99 school year.

Schools voluntarily submit the data, which is analyzed height, underweight, overweight, and at risk for overweight using the current national standards.

Overweight is defined as at or above the 95th percentile body mass index for age when compared to children of the same age and gender, while at risk of overweight is defined as 85th to 94th percentile BMI.

Biskeborn said that approximately one-third of the state's schools have taken part in the voluntary program, which targets students in grades K-12, with the bulk of the participants in the kindergarten through 8th-grade range. Schools typically take the height and weight measurements in the fall of the year. No student names are used to compile the aggregate data.

Each year, a School Height and Weight Report is produced by the state Department of Health. For the full report, see doh.sd.gov/SchoolWeight.

According to the School Height and Weight Report for the 2006-07 school year, the South Dakota Department of Health 2010 initiative performance indicator is to "reverse the trend and reduce the percent of school-age children and adolescents who are overweight from 17 percent in 2003 to 15 percent by 2010."

During the 2006-07 school year, 16.6 percent of the 41,579 students analyzed were considered overweight, and 16.3 percent were considered obese.

Biskeborn said that although South Dakota's student obesity rates are not increasing as fast as other states, "we have seen a slight increase in obesity levels statewide." She attributes the trend to limited access to healthy, appealing foods in some of the more remote parts of the state and to South Dakota's climate.

"People in South Dakota are more challenged in the wintertime as far as exercise goes," she said. "Everyone looks forward to spring, when physical activity increases and television viewing decreases."

According to Biskeborn, limited shopping in rural areas and the current tendency to "super-size" portions can make it a challenge to raise healthy children in South Dakota, as it is across the rest of the nation.

"All ages throughout the state seem to do poorly on their intake of fruits and vegetables," she said. "The recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day is nine to 11, but the average South Dakotan eats two or three."

Biskeborn said that although fresh fruits and vegetables may not always be readily available year-round in South Dakota, this should not prevent people from getting the recommended number of servings per day.

"People need to realize that these foods don't have to be fresh. Canned, frozen, or dried are just fine," she said.

Some of the changes that schools have made as a result of the program include:

* Offering more healthful choices in school vending machines

* Examining at policies regarding the food served at school parties and sold at fundraisers

* Creating school wellness programs

* Establishing walking programs for kids

She said that data indicates that students in the central area of South Dakota tend to have higher obesity levels than the rest of the state, as do Native American students.

"We've tried to address different grant programs that target those areas and populations," Biskeborn said.

Data submitted to the South Dakota Department of Health shows other South Dakota schools have successfully reversed the increasing trend in child obesity.

Bob Reynolds, physical education instructor at Douglas Middle School, said that the rate of overweight students at his school is more than 4 percent below the state average. He credits focusing on individual efforts in classes including jump rope, physical fitness testing, stationary bikes and activities that require a lot of running, he said. "We spend little time on team sports that require many students to wait their turn."

Biskeborn said that South Dakota plans to continue the School Height and Weight program indefinitely.

"There's always more that we can do. We thank the schools who participate in this program and emphasize that parents, teachers, neighbors and caregivers make the best role models for our children when it comes to healthy eating habits and increased physical activity," she said.

For more information about the Healthy South Dakota Program, go to www.healthysd.gov

To see the School Height Weight Survey Project, go to doh.sd.gov/SchoolWeight