weight loss information
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Overweight in Children and Adolescents
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Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent (almost 9 million) are overweight according to the 1999-2000 data, or triple what the proportion was in 1980. In addition, over 10 percent of younger preschool children between ages 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994. |
"One of the most significant concerns from a public health perspective is that we know a lot of children who are overweight grow up to be overweight or obese adults, and thus at greater risk for some major health problems such as heart disease and diabetes," said CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding.
In addition, the data shows that another 15 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 are considered at risk of becoming overweight (a BMI-for-age from the 85th to the 95th percentile).
More information on the study is available on the CDC/NCHS Web site.
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