Childhood obesity: no longer a problem?
May 28, 2008
In what the New York Times today calls a “hint of hope,” the CDC reports that rates of childhood obesity among American children haven’t budged since 1999 (well, maybe except for Hispanic boys and non-Hispanic black girls). As the accompanying JAMA editorial makes clear, the favorable trends still leave plenty of work to do; the rise in childhood obesity that started in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, has not declined and pediatricians are still seeing more young people with chronic disease risk factors than they used to. And then there are those troubling racial and ethnic disparities….
Our clinic serves a population that is primarily low-income caucasian, and our children are still showing more than 50% obesity rate, as are their parents. They have elevated rates of chronic diseases that are associated with obesity and sedentary life. They eat a diet of highly processed foods and soft drinks. I don’t believe the problem is improving in our neck of the woods.
Comment by Sheila — May 29, 2008 @ 8:37 pm