Nutrition for Infants and Children

Childhood Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity in America Overweight and obesity in America has reached a crisis stage not only with adults but for children as well. Since the mid- seventies the number of overweight and obese Americans has continued to increase and shows no sign of slowing down

Although our main focus for this section is children ages 2-5 years, you will find some information concerning adult and adolescent overweight and obesity because it is important to understand the progression and consequences of overweight and obesity over time

Definition of Overweight and Obesity for Adults According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems”

A Few Overweight and obesity Facts Today, 65 percent of Americans (127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese Obesity is a chronic disease that affects at least one-third of Americans (obesity is defined as 30 or more pounds overweight) and is most often measured using the Body Mass Index (BMI) which will be discussed later

Facts continued ….. The overweight rate for children has tripled since the 1970s from 5% to just over 17% Children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to become obese as adults

Facts Continued ….. Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases for adults as well as children including: High blood pressure Diabetes (type 2) Heart disease Asthma Stroke Gallbladder disease and Cancer of the breast, prostate and colon