Obesity, Overweight Children & Diabetes
Obesity Epidemic
Childhood obesity is at epidemic levels in the United States, according
to the U.S. Surgeon General. The percentage of overweight children, aged
6 to 17 years, has doubled in the United States since 1968. The most recent
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1988 to
1994 found that 1 in 5 children in the United States were overweight.
Overweight Children & Adult Obesity
Weight loss studies show that 70 percent of overweight kids aged 10 to
13 years will be overweight and obese as adults. There is also psychological
and emotional fallout from being overweight in childhood, as overweight
children struggle with self-esteem and body image.
Overweight Children & Diabetes
Recent findings from a weight loss study of 1,000 schoolchildren in Cincinnati
showed an increasing incidence of type II diabetes, the form of the disease
that is closely linked to overweight. In 1982, about 4 percent of children
in the weight loss study had type II diabetes and by 1994, 16 percent.
Other weight loss studies have found similar trends of overweight and
diabetes in other cities.
Source: Washington Post, 1998
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