Sharp Rise in Number of Severely Obese Kids
Recently-published data indicates a sharp rise in the number of severely obese kids over the past three decades.
One in every twenty kids is now severely obese, with weight in the 99th percentile for their age group and gender.
The researchers, led by Dr Joseph A. Skelton, published their findings in the journal of Academic Pediatrics. They used government data from an ongoing health survey, the most recent survey included 12,384 Americans, aged 2 to 19 years.
They found that since 1976, the rate of severe obesity has tripled. Between 1999-2004 (the most recent period covered by the study data), 3.8% of children were severely obese. That's almost one in every twenty kids.
The data showed some strong factors that influenced a kid's chance of becoming severely obese--with minority ethnic and impoverished kids being worst affected:
- Almost 6% of African-American children were severely obese
- Around 5% of Mexican-American children were severely obese
- 3% of Caucasian children were severely obese
Income also played a role, with slightly over 4% of children from low-income families being severely obese, and 2.5% of children from high-income families being severely obese.
The researchers summed up their report by saying:
Rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled in the last 25 years, with significant differences by race, gender, and poverty. This places demands on health care and community services, especially because the highest rates are among children who are frequently underserved by the health care system.
What are your thoughts on this research? Do the results surprise you?
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Not shocked at all. I think those rates are going to skyrocket in the coming decades because people have self-control. I don't buy the idea that Americans are becoming more fitness-aware. Even if they are - they just can't give up the gluttony.
ReplyI would like to see a study done where the parent's weight versus the child's weight is taken into consideration. I am shortly about to be a father and this is weighing on my mind (pun intended) and is really inspiring me to lose the 40lbs that I really should so the pattern is not repeated.
ReplyYou are so right. You can do it! I learned my love for healthy foods from my mother and my love of physical activity from my father.
ReplyThanks Lana!
the last two times I've gone out running I've had a sudden pain in my right calf after 0.8 & 1.2 miles (gps watch) and have had to walk back - really depressing! This happened this morning and it's very easy to think 'to hell with it' but I'll keep trying for the sake of my son/daughter :)
ReplyI am with you! This is weird because I have a post for my blog ready to go for this coming Tuesday the 25th on child obesity & my thoughts on how it starts in the home a lot of the time. I think I will reference this post as well!
ReplyI was just thinking about a correlation between the parents and children... a lot more going on but that is the place to start. Good comment
Reply"One in every twenty kids is now severely obese, with weight in the 99th percentile for their age group and gender."
Mathematically I have a problem with this :)
ReplyWe do need to something about obesity. It's just sad when it's a kid.
That is funny math. Probably using charts from 15-20 years ago on kids today, if that makes sense...
ReplyI agree that it starts at home. When we are down at our local public pool, almost always when I see an obese child, the parents are overweight or obese too. Then the healthy weight children have healthy weight parents and they are the ones NOT buying hot chips and junk from the pool shop after a swim.
ReplyI remembered I came across this photo last week on Twitter. "Would allowing your child to get this obese be considered child abuse?" It is a photo of an obese child being pushed around in a pram while eating an ice-cream. And yes, mum was obese too.
http://digg.com/people/She_was_perfectly_capable_of_walking_PIC
ReplyI'm not shocked at all, but I'm pretty sure (like most people said above) that a lot of it is learned behaviors from their parents. I don't see very many obese children with thin parents...maybe there are some, but most of the really fat kids are waddling after their really fat moms in the grocery store and begging for all kinds of junk food and ice cream and the mom asks them "What kind do you like? We'll get this and that and some mac and cheese for lunch, etc." I think a lot of parents associate food with love and don't want to say "no" to their kid, so they just cave and buy them whatever they want. Parents need to be parents and start putting their foot down when it comes to food.
See, here's the thing...kids are stupid. They have no clue how many calories are in mac and cheese and ice cream; they just know it tastes good. So unless someone is there to say that ice cream is only to be eaten sometimes and in small amounts, of course they'll eat a ton of it. I'm pretty scared of how many more severly obese kids are going to be popping up in the next few years.
ReplyI think calling children stupid is very harsh. They are just uneducated about nutrition, that is a big diffence. If given the opportunity to learn about nutrition at home or in school, I feel that these kids would make better choices. No one wants to grow up the fat kid. Too bad that physical education and nutrition classes aren't required courses. At least in my area of the country, they aren't.
ReplyKids are not stupid, just not informed yet. But parents are stupid.
ReplyAMEN!
ReplyThe reaction to your calling children stupid reminds me of something a professor once told my class. He was there to increase our ignorance, because stupidity is when you don't know you don't know something; ignorance is when you know you don't know something (with the obvious implication being that we would go find it out).
It will be bad sort of interesting to see the generation that was raised in the 80s and 90s with its super-sized portions and tendency to indulge nutritionally raise its own children. With no sense of when to stop, how are you going to teach a child?
ReplyActually ignorance is not knowing that you don't know. It's a certain passivity. AKA "being a sheep".
ReplyThe big question is who would marry a super-sized folk? Egads, they're breeding with each other!
ReplyIf the internet has taught me anything, it's that no matter what you think is "wrong" with you, someone out there thinks it's the hottest thing ever.
ReplyThis is seriously so sad. I've read that feature on CalorieLab about the fattest states, but these stats are way more depressing.
This has me stumped:
"especially because the highest rates are among children who are frequently underserved by the health care system."
I'm wondering why income level plays a part in this... my suspicion is that it doesn't have anything to do with their "underserved" status, but with the parents. This statement makes the assumption that children from lower income families aren't getting the same health care. Where is the data to show that, and what health care system is going to improve this? Just doesn't make alot of sense to me...
ReplyI think household income plays a role for the following reasons:
- A single parent household will most of the time have a lower income than a two parent household. This usually equates to less time, money, and energy to do the things that help control a child's weight, such as preparing meals at home, enrolling kids in sports teams/lessons, and spending quality time doing calorie burning activities.
- Less income in any case reduces the chances the family can afford for the child to take dance/soccer/whatever lessons
- Less income means parents may opt for caloric dense foods over healthier foods just to get something in their kids' bellies
ReplyPeople simply can't be bothered these days. What also isn't helping is because th UK is coping meals from America, like the big Macs and all this junk food. They are also opening up more america'n like dinners arounf the uk too. Children don't have support to loose weight and the parents are just as much to blame for their obeasity too. Although what they are eating is damaging their health, children are not as free as they used to be. Children these days tend to sit at the computer all day or on their PSP, they don't go out and run around and play outside anymore. There parents need to support their children to loose weight, and build there confidence up.
Reply