Nearly 1 in 5 US kids are obese, according to latest data
This May 31, 2012 file photo shows a display of various size cups and sugar cubes at a news conference at New York's City Hall. A range of factors contribute to childhood obesity, including eating a lot of processed foods and sugary beverages, and a lack of physical exercise. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. kids are obese, according to the latest national data.
The news is disappointing, given that programs across the country have for years been trying to reduce childhood obesity, one expert said.
"We really were expecting and hoping to see the trends decrease," said Dr. Tannaz Moin, a UCLA obesity researcher.
Obesity—which means not merely overweight, but seriously overweight—is one of the nation's leading public health problems. Adult obesity also has been trending upward, but childhood obesity is especially worrisome because it can put kids on track for problems like diabetes and heart disease, she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings come from a gold-standard health survey that measures participants' height and weight. The latest data come from surveys done in 2017 and 2018, when more than 2,800 U.S. children participated.
It found 19.3% of kids ages 2 to 19 were obese. That's up slightly from the 18.5% in the 2015-2016 national survey. The increase isn't considered statistically significant, meaning there's a mathematical chance the rates didn't truly rise.
But it follows an upward trend since 2005-2006, when 15.4% of U.S. kids were obese.
The percentage of kids who are severely obese remains at about 6%, where it's been for several years, the CDC found.
A range of factors contribute to childhood obesity, including eating a lot of processed foods and sugary beverages, and a lack of physical exercise.
The current coronavirus crisis—with school closings and stay-at-home orders—can't be helping, Moin said.
"Kids for the most part are at home, and not at school with recess, and getting even less (physical) activity," she said. "We may see worse trends in the coming years, especially if this pandemic continues the way it is."
The CDC quietly released the findings last month in an infographic in the back of one of its publications.
Tech addiction in children can cause obesity
Electronic gaming habits negatively affect physical activity that leads to sedentary lifestyle, says Turkish expert
ANKARA
Excessive use of technology has been linked to a risk of obesity in children due to shortfalls in physical activity and sedentary lifestyles, according to a Turkish expert.
"Children's gaming habits on tablets and computers negatively affect their physical activity levels. Children keep their energy inside instead of spending it outside by staying in front of the computer, tablet, TV or phone, which leads to a sedentary lifestyle," social media specialist Deniz Unay told Anadolu Agency.
Underlining that excessive screen time can pose a risk of obesity, Unay said it is possible to see even 2-year-olds using tablets and smartphones.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2019. The prevalence of worldwide obesity nearly tripled from 1975 to 2016.
The UN health agency defined overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk.
"Obesity becomes unavoidable, especially with the use of technological devices and people being lazier," said Unay.
He warned that obesity could open the door to severe health problems, especially in children. "Childhood obesity can cause insulin resistance or diabetes, fatty liver, increased cholesterol, sleep apnea, balance disorders, and especially the spine and posture disorders at a young age," he said.
Unay said the increase in insulin secretion accelerates the development of adult-type diabetes in childhood and that if there is a family history of diabetes, the risk is much higher.
Obesity in children is related to genetic factors and hormones as well as lifestyle.
"If the child's parents are overweight, the probability of the child being obese is almost 80%. If one of the parents is overweight or obese, the probability of the child being obese is 40%," he said.
If there are hormonal disorders such as thyroid gland diseases and adrenal gland diseases in the child, the risk of obesity is higher, he said. "However, this does not mean that individuals with a technology addiction will not be obese thanks to a good genetic status," he said.
"When it is noticed early and weight control is achieved, the situation can be prevented," he said.
Fast-food should not be used as reward
Unay warned parents not to give unhealthy foods to their children as a reward, making fast foods more attractive.
"People started to consume sweets and carbohydrates excessively due to advertisements and posts on social media and prefer ready-made foods instead of home meals," said Unay, who added that it is a significant risk, especially for those with little physical activity during the day.
He advised developing the habit of eating vegetables and fruits to prevent obesity. And avoiding fast food-style diets and restricting television and computer use is necessary, especially for children.
He also said increasing physical activity and gaining knowledge of how to use technology properly can minimize the risk of obesity.
According to doctors, if precautions are not taken and obese children do not recover from obesity before they complete adolescence, it becomes inevitable that the quality of life at later ages will be pretty low, he noted.
The impact of parental lifestyle patterns on childhood obesity
© iStock/MarsBars
A novel Australian longitudinal study has revealed the influence of parental lifestyle patterns on early childhood obesity.
The study, published in The Obesity Society’s (TOS) journal Obesity, utilised multi-trajectory modelling to analyse the longitudinal relationship linking concurrent changes in lifestyle patterns and the BMI z scores of young children, revealing their influence on childhood obesity.
The investigation discovered that factors such as maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal dietary patterns, and the duration of television viewing time are all substantial determinants of BMI z scores in early childhood.
Miaobing Zheng, the corresponding author of the study from Deakin University, said: “The findings will inform early childhood obesity prevention intervention and policy, and will be of great interest to paediatricians, researchers, policymakers, and the general public.”
The first study of its kind
Comprehensive longitudinal studies of this nature have never been conducted before, with the association between healthy lifestyle patterns and a reduced risk of childhood obesity only reported in a small amount of cross-sectional Studies.
The researchers utilised the data of 439 children from the Melbourne Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) programme – a 15-month parent-focused randomised controlled trial from 2008 that aimed to mitigate obesity risk behaviours in young children until 18 months with follow-ups implemented for children aged between 42 and 60 months. The multi-trajectory modelling implemented by the researchers highlighted groups of children with comparable lifestyle patterns and BMI z score trajectories, with multinomial logistic regression assessing the determinants of the trajectory groups.
Behavioural indicators of childhood obesity
The researchers distinguished three trajectory groups of childhood lifestyle patterns and BMI z scores, all demonstrating various healthy and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Group one being an “unhealthy lifestyle, with low BMI z”, group two “healthy lifestyle pattern, mid-BMI z“, and group three “unhealthiest lifestyle pattern, high BMI z“.
Group two encompassed most children, with 53% following a gradual, low trajectory for an unhealthy lifestyle pattern typified by a poor diet of energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary food consumption and substantial television viewing time. This group demonstrated a further high trajectory of a healthy lifestyle pattern of fruit and vegetable intakes, outdoor exercise, and a mean BMI z score of +1 unit over time.
Contrastingly, groups one and three shared similar characteristics of high trajectories of an unhealthy lifestyle pattern of discretionary food consumption and television viewing time and low trajectories for fruit and vegetable consumption and outdoor exercise. The central aspect in which the groups differentiated was their BMI z score trajectories, with group one displaying a score of 0 units and group three +2 units.
Liliana Aguayo, TOS member and research assistant professor from the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University, said: “Young children learn by imitating that which they see daily. There is no doubt that children copy the behaviours observed in the presence of parents – healthy and unhealthy.
“Evidence from this study highlights the importance of early childhood as a critical period for the development of obesity. More research is needed to identify effective approaches to simultaneously address parent and child health behaviours.”
