Facts about Childhood Overweight

  • Obesity is the most common health problem facing children in the United States.
  • Obesity may soon kill more Americans than do cigarettes.
  • 300,000 Americans a year die from illnesses that are caused or worsened by obesity.
  • 61% of adults are overweight or obese.
  • 13% of children are overweight or obese.
  • Toll due to overweight and obesity threatens to wipe out the progress made in fighting cancer, heart disease and other ailments.
    -- Surgeon General’s Report, 12/ 2001
  • 70% of adult obesity has its roots in childhood.
  • There is a strong correlation between overweight at age 4, and overweight as an adult. As children age, the likelihood that obesity will persist into adulthood increases dramatically.
  • Prevalence of obesity in 6 – 17 year old children tripled between 1980 and 1999.
  • Type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically in overweight children. The rate has tripled in the past five years.
  • Only 1 in 5 children eats 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It’s 1 in 10 for teens.
  • Obesity that begins in childhood tends to be more severe and is associated with adverse effects such as heart disease, joint complications, back pain, and diabetes.
  • Children model their parents’ behavior. It is more effective to treat the obese parents of obese children than to treat the child directly.
    -- Today’s Dietitian, Sept 2001
  • 70% of children up to age 12 participate in some vigorous activity; by age 18, only 55% do; and by age 21, less than 15% participate in vigorous exercise.
  • Children who watch 5 or more hours of television each day are 5 times more likely to be overweight than children who watch 2 or fewer hours each day.
  • Less than one-third of children ages 6 – 17 meet minimum standards for cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and abdominal and upper body strength.
    -- Fit Kids, Kenneth Cooper, MD, 1999
  • Overweight children eat fewer servings of fruits and vegetables, spend 20 minutes longer per day watching television and playing video games, and are more likely to attend a school that has a vending machine.
    -- CA CHEEPS report, 1999
  • In 1977-78, one in 10 children’s meals was purchased at a fast food restaurant; in 1994-96, this proportion rose to one in three.
  • Greater parental knowledge about nutrition correlates with lower prevalence of overweight among children.
    -- Food Review, Vol 24

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