Is Childhood Obesity a Growing Problem?
Approximately one in five children in the US between the ages of 6 and 17 is overweight. The number of overweight children in the US has more than doubled in the past 30 years. (NHANES III) · The number of overweight children (age 6-17) has doubled within three decades. (Pediatrics (Suppl) 1998;101(3): 497-504) A new chronic disease has emerged over the past two decades, one that overshadows all others in frequency in the pediatric population – obesity. Changes in the Western lifestyle have led to significant reductions in energy expenditure of children and have encouraged “super-sizing” of calorie-dense, high-fat foods and snacks. (Journal of Pediatrics (Editorial) 2000;136(6)) Physical inactivity (a 1996 US Surgeon General’s report on fitness says that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not vigorously active), “junk” food diets (including high calorie soft drinks and fruit beverages), increased television watching accompanied by snacking, increased time playing video and c
