Obesity In School-age Children

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is an area of ongoing concern in the United States. A child who is defined as obese means she has an excessive amount of body fat. In comparison, a child who is overweight might only need to lose a few pounds. The U.S. National Survey of Children's Health reports that the overall childhood obesity rate grew to 16.4 percent in 2007. That's up from 14.8 percent in 2003. The American Academy of Pediatrics is taking proactive steps in the ongoing battle against obesity in kids.

Considerations

In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics pledged to help curb the rampant childhood obesity rates as part a White House initiative. The AAP stated that pediatricians will begin to take Body Mass Index measurements at age 2 and at each subsequent routine physical exam. BMI measures a child's weight based on his height, age and sex. The AAP also promised to inform parents about the importance of good nutrition and regular exercise to help prevent obesity in their children.

BMI

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls obesity a serious health condition for children and adolescents. It defines obesity as having a BMI in the 95th percentile. For example, a 14-year-old girl who is 5 feet tall and weighs 140 lbs. is in the 95th percentile. If another girl of the same age and height weighed only 115 lbs., she would be at the 80.6th percentile. This would be considered a healthy weight.

Survey

The most recent survey (2003-2006) conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 17 percent of school-age children ages 6 to 11 were obese. This figure is a substantial rise from the 6.5 percent obesity rate recorded by the survey from 1976-1980. The obesity rate for adolescents ages 12 to 19 jumped from 5 percent from 1976-1980 to 17.6 percent in the more recent survey.

Study

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that 98 percent of kids ages 2 to 18 said they snacked on potato chips, candy and other high-calorie foods nearly three times per day in 2003-2006. This is a 24 percent increase in in-between meal snacks from the 1977-1978 findings. During this nearly 20-year span, the calories consumed in junk food in children of all ages rose from an average 418 calories per day to 586 calories. The study considered data on more than 31,000 children in the United States from 1977 to 2006. The findings were published in the March issue of Health Affairs.

Solution

Since school-age children often grow and develop at vastly different rates, it can be hard to know when a child is overweight or obese. Your doctor can help determine whether your child's weight is healthy during a routine check that includes a BMI measurement. At home, it's important to prepare healthy meals that the entire family can enjoy and encourage more nutritious snacks like fruits and vegetables, rather than fattening treats. The Kids Health website says regular exercise also can help curb obesity. Children should aim for about 60 minutes of physical activity each day.