According to a recent CDC report, obesity rates among low-income preschoolers have declined in 19 U.S. states from 2008 to 2011.
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed that U.S. states including Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, South Dakota, and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw a 1 percent decrease in obesity rates among low-income preschoolers between 2008 and 2011. Though the percentage is small, it comes as a ray of hope after decades of increase in obesity rates among children of the country. Twenty other states showed no alterations in their obesity rates among low-income preschoolers.
"Although obesity remains epidemic, the tide has begun to turn for some kids in some states," said CDC Director, Tom Frieden in a press statement. "While the changes are small, for the first time in a generation they are going in the right direction. Obesity in early childhood increases the risk of serious health problems for life."
Previous studies have shown that one in every eight low-income preschooler in the United States is obese.
"Today's announcement reaffirms my belief that together, we are making a real difference in helping kids across the country get a healthier start to life," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "We know how essential it is to set our youngest children on a path towards a lifetime of healthy eating and physical activity, and more than 10,000 childcare programs participating in the Let's Move! Child Care initiative are doing vitally important work on this front. Yet, while this announcement reflects important progress, we also know that there is tremendous work still to be done to support healthy futures for all our children."
The findings were revealed after experts analyzed the height and weight of nearly 12 million children aged two to four years. According to Janet L. Collins, Ph.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, this decline in obesity rates come as a result of many states in the country implementing healthy eating habits and incorporating activities into their children's lives.
CDC has been conducting many programs and introducing new methods to encourage adults to discourage childhood obesity. Business leaders, childcare providers, healthcare providers, communities and families are also cooperating in this endeavor. The programs include making healthy food readily available to children, especially those belonging to low-income families, providing safe drinking water in recreational areas like parks, school playgrounds and childcare centers and encouraging schools to open parks and gyms for students for after school hours.
