Title: Current Issues in Research and Practice

Author:

Section/SPIG: Food and Nutrition

Issue Date:

---

CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT

There has been a dramatic increase in overweight among children in the United States in recent decades. According to the CDC, in 2003:

• Almost 9 million children and adolescents in the United States aged 6-19 years are overweight.

• The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6-11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, increasing from 7 percent in 1980 to 15 percent in 2000. Overweight among adolescents aged 12-19 has tripled in the same time period, rising from 5 percent to 15 percent.

• While the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased in all segments of the U.S. population, it is particularly common among minority groups and those with a lower family income.

For more information, visit the Food and Nutrition Section Web site on Childhood Overweight at <http://www.aphafoodandnutrition.org/overwt.html>.