The American Academy of Pediatrics defines childhood overweight and obesity using BMI-for-age percentile in children and adolescents (ages 2-19). Overweight is defined as being within the 85th to 95th percentile range, while obesity is being greater than or equal to the 95th percentile.
The Numbers
In the late 1980's the percentage of obese children nearly doubled from that of the 1960's, shown in the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). From the NHANES data in 2006, the prevalence of obesity in children ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 19 have reached 17 and 17.6 percent, respectively.
Prevalence
The latest NHANES data shows that African-American and Mexican-American children have a higher prevalence of obesity as compared to non-Hispanic white children. Although this margin is small, there are certain populations at greater risk for obesity.
Causes
There are many different causes for obesity, but environmental factors are the main causes for childhood obesity today. Children are influenced by the increasing variety of over-sized and unhealthy food choices that are available in and outside of the home. In addition, children have taken on a sedentary lifestyle, and are not participating in 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Risks
According to the Obesity Action Coalition, obese children are 70 percent more likely to be obese as adults. This carries a great risk for obesity-related health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, sleep disorders and cancer.
What Are We Doing To Help
There are numerous public and privately funded programs dedicated to reducing the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. Programs are targeting parent, school and community involvement geared toward education and resources to increase physical activity, promote a healthy environment, and provide healthy food.
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