Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade

[Recursion]

Well, that's some good news

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/health/obesity-rate-for-young-children-plummets-43-in-a-decade.html

Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke.

The drop emerged from a major federal health survey that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a welcome surprise to researchers. New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: Children who are overweight or obese at 3 to 5 years old are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults.

A smattering of states have reported modest progress in reducing childhood obesity in recent years, and last year the federal authorities noted a slight decline in the obesity rate among low-income children. But the figures on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in obesity rates among all 2- to 5-year-olds, offering the first clear evidence that America’s youngest children have turned a corner in the obesity epidemic. About 8 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were obese in 2012, down from 14 percent in 2004.

“This is the first time we’ve seen any indication of any significant decrease in any group,” said Cynthia L. Ogden, a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the lead author of the report, which will be published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, on Wednesday. “It was exciting.”

[d_b]

1. great news

[Laelth]

2. That is truly excellent news.

It's also surprising and questionable. I am convinced that cheap food is the primary culprit in our obesity epidemic. As the majority of Americans are squeezed by falling wages and government cuts to our social safety nets, one would expect the obesity rate to climb, not fall. As we get poorer, in other words, we eat cheaper foods and we get fatter. That's what I would expect, yet this study seems to suggest something different. Puzzling.



-Laelth

[Recursion]

3. Moral panics do generally tend to actually get results

I mean, something like 18% of Americans smoke now, as compared to nearly half a generation ago. I do think people genuinely care more about what they're eating than they used to, even if not everybody is lining up for artisanal arugula.

[Laelth]

4. Perhaps so. n/t

-Laelth

[unc70]

5. Curious about adenovirus-36

Last edited Fri Feb 28, 2014, 02:08 AM - Edit history (1)

AD-36 has been implicated in obesity, particularly morbid obesity. Has there been a decrease in the infection rate among those 2-5, possibly as a result of the number of actively infected adults has run its course? We have been discussing this scenario as a possibility, discussions going back 5-8 years.

[Laelth]

6. Good question.

If you find an answer, please post.

-Laelth

[A Little Weird]

7. That's encouraging

I still occasionally see really bad behaviors like parents giving toddlers sippy cups of mountain dew but I think more parents are making better choices for their kids.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Timely reading: "Salt, Sugar, Fat" by Michael Moss

Bottom line: If you eat packaged food or dine at fast-food restaurants, you're getting way too much of all three. The only way to know what you're *really* eating is to choose your own ingredients.

[gollygee]

9. I think in the past

like when my 11-year-old was little, people thought fat toddlers were cute and would grow out of it. But that is no longer the way parents think. They're careful to not let toddlers eat whatever and as much as they want. Generally speaking anyway. I've definitely noticed a change between the time period of my older and younger children.

[laundry_queen]

10. I actually think the opposite

When I was growing up, it was recommended to parents to cut back on fat for kids. I was fed skim milk even as a 1 year old (as was my ex-husband too) and we ate margarine instead of butter, and so on. Now it's been shown that kids who eat more (healthy) fat as toddlers are healthier and have higher IQ's, and that is why whole milk is now recommended for toddlers. There are starting to be some studies that show low-fat diets in toddlers may be related to obesity later in life (http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v37/n8/full/ijo2012185a.html) Oh, and we have way less trans fat in our diet than we did 20 years ago or so. I think trans fat was worse than people thought and some of what we see is the result of that.

I also think people are more aware of the importance of vegetables. When I was little, vegetables for us was cooked green peas or corn. As I got older (because my parents were always into nutrition, but they were just a bit clueless) and more information came out, we started eating a lot more vegetables when I was a teen. My kids eat a ton of vegetables now, much more than I ever did. I make meals with the premise that 1/2 the plate should be covered in vegetables, 1/4 protein and 1/4 carbs (rice, potatoes, noodles). My parents had some meals that had zero vegetables. That pretty much never happens in our house.

Also, certain baby feeding recommendations have changed. It used to be routine to bottle feed and start rice cereal at 1-2 months. Now a lot more people breastfeed and solids aren't started until 6 months. Studies show this is also beneficial for weight control. One article I read said that for every month a mother breastfed, there was a 4% reduction in obesity. That alone could explain my anecdotal 'evidence' where I wasn't breastfed at all and am obese, and my 4 daughters were all breastfed for 2+ years and 1 is normal weight, 2 of them are actually borderline underweight and my 4th is on the high side of normal...almost overweight. She has always been big, even as an 'exclusively breastfed' baby and yeah, I hope she doesn't become obese like me, but she's the pickiest eater and is the 'jock' of the family and is constantly active, so I try not to worry about it because we eat very healthily. Interestingly, she was the one who breastfed for the least amount of time.