The number of children who are obese is going down, especially those between the ages of two to four years and from lower income backgrounds, according to new research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers believe these findings suggest the obesity epidemic among this population may have passed its highest point. This is the first national study showing that these rates have begun to drop.
The study was conducted using data from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance Survey, which consists of nearly 50 percent of children that meet the requirements for government funded child health and nutrition programs. The data came from 26.7 million children between the ages of 2 and 4 from 30 states and the District of Columbia and throughout the years 1998 to 2010.
One randomly picked clinic visit was chosen for each kid complete with demographic information and measured weight and height. Standards of obesity, BMI in the 95th percentile or greater for this age and sex group, and extreme obesity, BMI in the 120th percentile or above, were established by the CDC in 2000.
The number of kids who were obese decreased from 15.2 percent in 2003 to 14.9 percent in 2010. Extreme obesity also dropped from 2.22 percent in 2003 to 2.07 percent in 2010.
Liping Pan, M.D., M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues said:
“Obesity and extreme obesity in childhood, which are more prevalent among minority and low-income families, have been associated with other cardiovascular risk factors, increased health care costs, and premature death. Obesity and extreme obesity during early childhood are likely to continue into adulthood. Understanding trends in extreme obesity is important because the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increases with severity of childhood obesity.”
During the study, a three year old boy who weighed 37 pounds or more standing at a height of 3 feet 2 inches was labeled as obese. Extremely obese was considered to be 44 pounds or more for the same height.
Parents are encouraged to be aware of what their children ingest during daycare; 60 percent of pre-school aged children are in daycare at least 30 hours per week.
Although the authors do not pinpoint why there was a slight drop in obesity rates for this population, they think increasing education and awareness throughout communities, and among parents and patients has helped.
This is the first study of its kind to declare a decline in obesity among young kids from low-income families, which is noteworthy because of the disproportion of this population’s risk.
A study published last year claimed that the obesity rate in California among children dropped one percent. However these particular authors said that obesity rates still remain exceptionally high.
A separate study earlier this year conducted by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and the CDC also established obesity rates among kids decreased from 1999 to 2008 in Massachusetts. However, that study pointed out that the decrease did not include kids from low-income homes.
Obesity rates remain steady for the first time in thirty years – the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health issued a report in August, 2013, showing that the prevalence of obesity in the USA has stopped growing.
Written by Kelly Fitzgerald