Obesity is a serious health concern for American children and adolescents. The rate of increase in obesity statistics among American children and adolescents is trending sharply upward. With no real solutions being implemented, childhood obesity could reasonably be called an epidemic.

In the period from the mid-1970s until 2008:
Obesity more than doubled, from 5 percent to 10.4 percent among preschoolers aged 2–5
Obesity tripled, from 6.5 percent to 19.6 percent among 6–11 year olds
Obesity nearly quadrupled, from 5 percent to 18.1 percent among adolescents aged 12–19

Childhood obesity is not being targeted because obese children are teased or unpopular. Childhood obesity is a medically relevant epidemic because it is the stepping stone to life-threatening illnesses, including serious cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Furthermore, obesity is the common precursor for Type 2 Diabetes, itself an epidemic in America.
The 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) estimated that 17 percent of American children and adolescents, ages 2–19 years, are obese.

Another important, and often overlooked, factor is that obese children and adolescents are far more likely to become obese as adults than non-obese children.  A study found that 80 percent of kids who were overweight at 10–15 years old were still obese adults at 25.

Another study found that 25 percent of obese adults were overweight as children. And when being overweight began before 8 years of age, adult obesity was even more serious.

Obesity in children is measured using different Body Mass Index (BMI) categories than those used for adults. Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are age- and sex-specific, because children’s body compositions vary as they age, and also vary between boys and girls.

When the words “overweight” and “obese” are used correctly by health professionals, they mean that the BMI categories for children have been applied correctly:
“Overweight” means a BMI at or above 85 percentile and lower than the 95 percentile
“Obese” means a BMI at or above the 95 percentile

For kids, and for parents who are in charge, it all comes down monitoring diet and exercise. The diet has to be nutritious for growth and health, but it must not contain more calories than a child burns off during normal activities. When calories exceed activity levels, you can expect to see overweight. And a long-term, unhandled overweight condition can lead to morbid obesity.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

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