Obesity

Obesity continues to be on the rise for children and adolescents across race and ethnicity, putting them at risk for chronic physical and emotional illnesses affecting them into adulthood.

Statistics

• More Hispanic girls (23%) than Caucasian girls (18%) are overweight. (Centers for Disease Control)

• More than 10 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight, double the proportion since 1980. (The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports)

• Sixty-one percent of overweight 5- to 10-year-olds already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, and 26% have two or more risk factors. (Centers for Disease Control)

• Parental obesity more than doubles the risk of adult obesity among both obese and non-obese children under10 years of age (5). (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

• Obese children and adolescents are reported to be 12.6 times more likely than non-obese to have high fasting blood insulin levels, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. (American Obesity Association)

Related Web Sites

• About Obesity (www.about-obesity.com)
• American Obesity Association (www.obesity.org)
• Obesity Research (www.obesityresearch.org)