Evidence Suggests , Severe Obesity Increasing , Among Young US Children.
'Time' reports that a new study has added to
the evidence that severe obesity is becoming
more common in young children in the United States.
National data suggests that approximately
2.5% of all preschool-aged children are , severely obese.
About a decade ago, those numbers seemed to be
dropping. The latest update released in the
journal, 'Pediatrics,' warns the rate has been rising again.
We were doing well and now
we see this upward trend. We are
dismayed at seeing these findings, Heidi Blanck, U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, via 'Time'.
The study, which looked at children between
the ages of two and four, was involved with
the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
In 2010, researchers found
that 2.1% of the kids in the
program were severely obese.
By 2016, the rate had dropped to 1.8%.
However, by 2020, the rate had
started to climb back up to 2%.
'Time' reports that 2% equates
to about about 33,000 of over 1.6 million
children who take part in the WIC program.
According to experts, severe obesity at an early age has
been found to be nearly irreversible, and has been linked
with both chronic health problems and early death