Childhood Obesity: A Health Epidemic
- Over the past quarter century, the prevalence of obesity among American children nearly tripled for children ages 6-11 (from 6.5% to 18.8%) and tripled for children ages 12-19 (from 5% to 17.4%.
- Less than 25% of young people eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can cause or aggravate many chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
- Obese children and adolescents have shown an alarming increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes.
- Many obese children have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are risk factors for heart disease.
- One of the most severe problems for obese children is sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while sleeping). In some cases this can lead to problems with learning and memory.
- Obese children have a high incidence of orthopedic problems, liver disease, and asthma.
- Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
To learn more about the health and life risks associated with obesity, please visit the following sites:
Centers for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov)
The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity (http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/)
American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org)
American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org)
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrition.gov (http://www.nutrition.gov/)
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