OBESITY ON SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

Obesity on School Age Children

Obesity on School Age Children

Introduction

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is an area of ongoing concern in the United States. A child who is defined as obese means she has an excessive amount of body fat. In comparison, a child who is overweight might only need to lose a few pounds. The U.S. National Survey of Children's Health reports that the overall childhood obesity rate grew to 16.4 percent in 2007 (Fitzgerald, 2008). That's up from 14.8 percent in 2003. The American Academy of Pediatrics is taking proactive steps in the ongoing battle against obesity in kids.

In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics pledged to help curb the rampant childhood obesity rates as part a White House initiative. The AAP stated that pediatricians will begin to take Body Mass Index measurements at age 2 and at each subsequent routine physical exam. BMI measures a child's weight based on his height, age and sex. The AAP also promised to inform parents about the importance of good nutrition and regular exercise to help prevent obesity in their children.

Survey

The most recent survey (2003-2006) conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 17 percent of school-age children ages 6 to 11 were obese. This figure is a substantial rise from the 6.5 percent obesity rate recorded by the survey from 1976-1980. The obesity rate for adolescents ages 12 to 19 jumped from 5 percent from 1976-1980 to 17.6 percent in the more recent survey.

Study

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that 98 percent of kids ages 2 to 18 said they snacked on potato chips, candy and other high-calorie foods nearly three times per day in 2003-2006. This is a 24 percent increase in in-between meal snacks from the ...