Childhood Obesity

Obesity has surpassed smoking as the #1 non-disease killer in the United States.

The health risks associated with obesity are numerous and include:

	High blood pressure		Sleep apnea
	High blood cholesterol		Some types of cancer
	Type 2 diabetes		Complications of pregnancy
	Heart disease		Poor female reproductive health
	Stroke		Bladder control problems
	Gallstones		Depression
	Gout		Low self esteem
	Osteoarthritis		Social Discrimination

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Overweight Trends among children:

The average 11-year old boy weighs 11 pounds more than in 1973.
(Source: New York Times, 09/04/03)

Nearly 16 Million 6-19 year olds are overweight or at risk of being overweight.
(Source: CDC)

Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
(Source: National Center for Health Statistics)

Obestiy rates in adolescents have tripled in the last 20 years
(Source: American Health Association)

Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s top priorities for fighting obesity:

• Decrease TV viewing time
• Increase Phsysical Activity
• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Increase breastfeeding rates

Junk Food Juveniles:

3,000 parents surveyed by phone about what their child ate that day:

1/3 of the children under 2 consumed no fruits or vegetables.3,000 parents surveyed by phone about what their child ate that day:

• 9% of children 9-11 months old ate fries at least once per day. For those
• 19-24 months old, more than 20% had fries daily.
• Hot dogs, sausage and bacon also were daily staples for many children – 7% in the 9-to-11 month group, and 25% in the older range.

• The median calorie intake for 1-2 year olds was 1,220 calories – nearly 30% over the recommended 950 per day.
  (Source: Gerber Products Company, 2003)