America Still Has a Childhood Obesity Problem (Study)

(Mirror Daily, United States) – New research suggests that despite public health authorities’ best efforts, America hasn’t gotten rid of its childhood obesity problem.

Despite numerous studies showing that childhood obesity either declined or remained steady in recent years, a new analysis claims it found no evidence to back those claims.

According to the new study, severe obesity in children in the 2-5 age bracket has risen between 2013 and 2016.

The findings appeared this week in the journal Pediatrics.

First author Asheley Skinner explained that while past studies had suggested that obesity rates in preschoolers declined in recent years, the trend may be reversing.

Skinner deemed the findings “disheartening” as efforts to tackle childhood obesity don’t seem to reach across the nation. The research team called for better access to physical activity and healthy food for already stressed-out parents and their children.

Obesity in children is tied to other health risks like diabetes, stroke, heart disease, frail joints and bones, and cancer.

America’s Childhood Obesity Problem Far from Over

Since the 1970s, obesity rates in the U.S. have more than tripled, a CDC report suggests. Currently, 20% of U.S. kids and teens are obese. However, America is not the only country struggling with an obesity problem.

The U.K. is battling similar problems, with one in five kids aged 10-11 living with obesity. A WHO report shows that many African countries saw childhood obesity rates skyrocket from 1990 to 2016.

During the same period, the number of children diagnosed with obesity jumped from 32 million to 41 million worldwide.

The latest study found that obesity in children has been on an upward trend over the last two decades. The groups with the highest risk of becoming obese are children between the ages of 2 to 5, and girls aged 16 to 19.

This study is important because it reminds us that obesity in children is not going away,

researchers said.
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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.