Preschool Obesity Rate Stable At 1 In 7: US Study

“The U.S. obesity epidemic, which afflicts all age groups, has stabilized in the past five years among preschool-age children at about one in seven children, government researchers said on Thursday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 14.6 percent of 2- to 4-year-old children were obese in 2008, about the same as in 2003 and compared to a 12.4 percent obesity rate in 1998. ‘These new data provide some encouragement but remind us of two things -- one, too many young children are obese, and two, we must not become complacent in our efforts to reduce obesity among young children,’ said Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. The author of the study, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Andrea Sharma, said reducing obesity rates required ‘policy changes that promote physical activity and good nutrition.’ She urged ‘greater consumption of water and fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods high in fats or added sugars.’”

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/07/23/eline/links/20090723elin031.html