Editorial

Our Vulnerable Children: Poor and Overweight

Authors: Sharron Dalton, PhD, RD

Abstract

The threat of obesity to the physical and mental health of children is high and rising. Worldwide, about 1 child out of 4 is overweight or obese–nearly as many as are affected by undernourishment.1 In the United States, 28.2% of 2 to 19 year olds were overweight or obese in 2000; by 2004, the prevalence increased to 33.6%.2 Local data from Chesterfield County VA, reported in this issue, indicate a similar prevalence. Reports show that young children, 2 to 5 years old, are getting fatter faster than ever before.3,4 And although the overall rates of childhood obesity are alarmingly high, they are higher still among ethnic minority and low-income communities.5

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References

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2. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, et al. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. JAMA 2006;295:1549–1555.
 
3. Sherry B, Mei Z, Scanlon KS, et al. Trends in state-specific prevalence of overweight and underweight in 2- through 4-year-old children from low-income families from 1989 through 2000. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:1116–1124.
 
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6. Sinha R, Fisch G, Teague B, et al. Prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance among children and adolescents with marked obesity. N Engl J Med 2002;346:802–810.
 
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11. Dalton S. Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic. Berkeley, University California Press, 2004.