Prevalence of Pediatric Overweight

Recent estimates indicate that approximately 17 percent of children and adolescents in the United States are obese (i.e., a Body Mass Index at or above the 95th percentile) (American Medical Association [AMA], 2007), and over 33 percent are either obese or overweight (i.e., a Body Mass Index at or above the 85th percentile (AMA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2006; Ogden et al., 2006). Pediatric weight problems affect children of all ages at alarming rates.

Reports suggest that about 26 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds are obese or overweight. Among children ages 6 to 11, about 37 percent are overweight or obese. For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19, the combined overweight and obese rate is estimated to exceed 34 percent (Ogden et al.). The high prevalence of pediatric obesity parallels the adult obesity epidemic, with over 32 percent of adults being categorized as obese.

Perhaps even more concerning than the current rates of obesity and overweight among children is the significant increase in these conditions over recent years. According to estimates by Ogden et al. (2006), the percentage of children and adolescents who were obese increased by approximately 23 percent between 1999 and 2004, and the percentage of those who were overweight increased more than 19 percent.

During this period, the largest increase in pediatric obesity was among children ages 2 - 5; the rate grew nearly 35 percent. These increases in obesity among young children are especially alarming in light of research suggesting that children who are overweight before age 8 are likely to have more severe obesity as adults (Freedman, Khan, Dietz, Srinivasan & Berenson, 2001).

The recent increases in pediatric obesity rates are part of a larger trend toward escalating weight problems in children over the last 35 years. Data available through the CDC provide a striking depiction of the developing obesity epidemic. Since the early 1970s, obesity rates among children and adolescents of all ages have risen dramatically (CDC, 2006).

Childhood obesity is the most prevalent pediatric nutritional problem in the United States. It occurs in all parts of the country and affects all income, racial, and ethnic groups. The nutrition and physical activity choices that lead to obesity are influenced by many factors, including lack of access to nutritious foods, individual lifestyle choices, food advertising, and a prevailing culture that promotes overeating and sedentary lifestyles. It affects as many as 15% to 30% of grade-school children and adolescents. The percentage of overweight children aged 6 to 11 years has almost quadrupled from 4% in 1970 to 19% in 2004. The prevalence of overweight varies among different ethnic groups. African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian children and adolescents have particularly high overweight rates. Children also are becoming overweight at increasingly young ages. This is of concern because ­obesity that occurs early in life and persists throughout childhood is more difficult to treat than obesity that develops later in life. Moreover, a child who continues to be obese into adolescence is at increased risk of developing related health problems. A school-aged child who is at risk of being overweight has an increased probability of becoming an obese adolescent and adult. Obese adolescents are unlikely to attain normal adult weight.