One in Eight U.S. Kindergartners Found Obese in Survey
By Michelle Fay Cortez - Jan 29, 2014
One in eight children in the U.S. is obese when they enter kindergarten, with the ratio increasing through the elementary school years, a nationwide study found.
By eighth grade, 1 in 5 U.S. students is obese and another 17 percent are overweight, according to the study released today by the New England Journal of Medicine. Most of the increase takes place before fifth grade, giving researchers key information about the obesity epidemic among American children and the ages at which they are most vulnerable.
Obesity more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents from the early 1980s, though researchers say the rates may now have plateaued. The condition puts people at risk for diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, stroke and arthritis. First lady Michelle Obama has focused on childhood obesity, urging food companies to make healthier products and encouraging more exercise with her “Let’s Move” campaign.
The study found that 5-year-olds carrying extra weight for their age were four times more likely to become obese during the elementary school years. Almost half of those who developed obesity were overweight when school started. The reverse was also true: among overweight kindergartners, only 13 percent were normal weight in eighth grade.
The findings suggest obesity develops mainly in children who are already overweight and tapers off over time, as the pool of susceptible students is exhausted, the researchers said.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-29/one-in-eight-u-s-kindergartners-found-obese-in-survey.html
I can only remember 2 kids in my kindergarten class (1962) that would have been considered obese. The one, who I was great friends, with had a medical condition that caused her weight retention. Today she is a beautiful lady with no weight problem at all. What hell she had to go through though during those early school years because of it. Smart as a wipe to boot!