Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, first lady Michelle Obama and Assistant Secretary of the Interior Rhea Suh cheer with children after Obama led them in the Junior Ranger Pledge on Tuesday at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The event kicked off the national “Let’s Move Outside!” initiative that promotes outdoor physical activity for children and families.
Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 | 6:36 p.m.
After years of growing concern about obesity among children, federal researchers have found the clearest evidence yet that the epidemic might be turning a corner in young children from low-income families.
The obesity rate among preschool-age children from poor families fell in 19 states and U.S. territories between 2008 and 2011, federal health officials said Tuesday — the first time a major government report has shown a consistent pattern of decline for low-income children after decades of rising rates.
Children from poor families have had some of the nation’s highest obesity rates. One in 8 preschoolers in the United States is obese. Among low-income children, it is 1 in 7. The rate is much higher for blacks (1 in 5) and for Hispanics (1 in 6).
Several cities have reported drops among school-age children, offering hints of a change in course. But gains were concentrated among whites and children from middle- and upper-income families and were not consistent across the country.
“We’ve seen isolated reports in the past that have had encouraging trends, but this is the first report to show declining rates of obesity in our youngest children,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which prepared the report. “We are going in the right direction for the first time in a generation.”
The cause of the decline remains a mystery; researchers offered theories, like an increase in breast-feeding, a drop in calories from sugary drinks and changes in the food offered in federal nutrition programs for women and children. In interviews, parents suggested that they are more aware of their families’ eating habits and of the health problems that can come with being overweight.
The new report, based on the country’s largest set of health data for children, used weight and height measurements from 12 million children ages 2 to 4 who participate in federally funded nutrition programs to provide the most detailed picture of obesity among low-income Americans.
It included data from 40 states, as well as from the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ten states were not included because of incomplete data.
“This is the first time we have this many states in the U.S. showing a decline,” said Heidi Blanck, a senior researcher at the CDC. “Until now, it has been a patchwork.”
The declines were modest: Most states dropped by less than 1 percentage point.
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