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Childhood Obesity - What The Research Tells Us
Obesity Rates Are Increasing
The rapid increase in overweight among children and adolescents is generating
widespread concern. Since the 1970s, the prevalence of overweight among children
has more than doubled for preschoolers ages 2 to 5 and adolescents ages 12 to 19, and it has
more than tripled for children 6 to 11 years. Nearly one-third of children and
adolescents, of both sexes, aged 6 to 19 years (31.0%) are considered to be either at risk
for overweight or overweight, defined as at or above the 85th percentile of the
sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart, and 16% are overweight or at or above the 95th
percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age
growth chart.
Rates For Boys And Girls Remain Similar
Although the percentage
of overweight children and adolescents
increased from the 1960s to 2002, the rates
remain similar for boys and girls. For the
years 1999-2002, among boys ages 6 to 19, 29.2%
are at risk for overweight or were overweight.
Among girls ages 6 to 19 during the same time
period, 27.0% were at risk for overweight or
were overweight.
Some Groups Of Children Are More Affected By Obesity Than Others
Among boys and
young men, risk of overweight and overweight
is a particular burden among those of Mexican
American descent, with 42.8% of Mexican Americans ages 6 to 19 either at risk of overweight
or overweight compared with 31.0% of non-Hispanic black boys and adolescents
and 29.2% of non-Hispanic white boys and adolescents. Among girls and young
women, 40.1% of non-Hispanic black young people are at risk of overweight or overweight,
compared to 36.6% of Mexican American girls and young women and 27.0%
of non-Hispanic white girls and young women.
Genetics
Genetics is a factor in excess weight but does not explain the recent epidemic of overweight.
While having overweight parents more than doubles a child’s risk of being
obese, genetic characteristics of human populations have not changed in the last two
decades, while the prevalence of obesity among children and adults has approximately
doubled.
Economic Costs Associated With Obesity Are Increasing
Hospitalizations among children and adolescents (6 to 17 years of age) for diseases associated with obesity increased sharply between 1979 and 1999.
Adult Overweight
The probability of childhood
overweight persisting into adulthood
increases from approximately 20% at 4 years
of age, to between 40% and 80% by adolescence.
26 It is also probable that the diseases
associated with overweight will persist into
adulthood, as well. Adult overweight is a
risk factor for major health conditions,
including diabetes, heart disease, high blood
pressure, stroke, gallbladder disease, cancer
(endometrial, colon, kidney, gallbladder,
and postmenopausal breast cancer), and
osteoarthritis.
Reprinted with permission from the web site of the The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
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