Article - Facts About Obesity in Children
The percentage of children and adolescents that are overweight has doubled since the 1970s.
Among U.S. children:
- 15% of children ages 6-19 are overweight.
- Gallbladder disease has tripled.
- Sleep-related breathing disruptions are four times greater.
- Type 2 diabetes has doubled.
- 25% of children ages 8-16 watch four or more hours of television per day.
- Less than two-thirds of high school children get more than two hours of exercise per week.
Is Childhood Obesity A Growing Problem?
Approximately one in five children in the US between the ages of 6 and 17 is overweight. The number of overweight children in the US has more than doubled in the past 30 years. (NHANES III).
A new chronic disease has emerged over the past two decades, one that overshadows all others in frequency in the pediatric population - obesity. Changes in the Western lifestyle have led to significant reductions in energy expenditure of children and have encouraged "super-sizing" of calorie-dense, high-fat foods and snacks. (Journal of Pediatrics (Editorial) 2000;136(6))
Physical inactivity (a 1996 US Surgeon General's report on fitness says that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not vigorously active), "junk" food diets (including high calorie soft drinks and fruit beverages), increased television watching accompanied by snacking, increased time playing video and computer games all contribute to increased obesity among the young.
When we think of the major problems facing pediatrics in the next millennium, the disturbing trend toward obesity has to be among the most serious, with all the adverse health implications that obesity carries. (Pediatric Alert, March 27, 1997)
Dr. Kelly Boswell, a leading provider of psychology services in North Florida and an expert in the treatment and prevention of obesity and eating disorders, heads the Boswell Center. The Center offers personalized treatment and follow-up processes that are second to none, with a full spectrum of services, including registered dietitians.
For more information, call (904) 332-9100.
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