Childhood Obesity Rates Drop Slightly in U.S.

Childhood obesity rates among low-income preschoolers have declined slightly over the past 10 years, a federal report says.

For the study, Liping Pan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and colleagues used data from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). They looked at 26.7 million children, aged between two and four years. Nearly half of the children included in the data were qualified for maternal and child health funds from the government.

Researchers measured height and weight of the children. Obesity and extreme obesity were determined using 2000 CDC growth charts. At the end of the analysis, investigators found obesity rates coming down from 15.21 percent in 2003 to 14.94 percent in 2010. Similarly, extreme obesity also showed a decline with 2.22 percent in 2003 coming down to 2.07 percent in 2010.

"To our knowledge, this is the first national study to show that the prevalence of obesity and extreme obesity among young U.S. children may have begun to decline," a new release quoted the authors, as writing. "The results of this study indicate modest recent progress of obesity prevention among young children. These findings may have important health implications because of the lifelong health risks of obesity and extreme obesity in early childhood."

The study has been published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to CDC, obese children are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol, prediabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems like stigmatization and poor self-esteem. 

 Following a healthy lifestyle with a healthy eating habit and physical activity can help in preventing the young generation from becoming overweight.