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Obesity rates may be stabilizing among low-income children in the United States

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Obesity prevalence increased from 12.4% in 1998 to 14.5% in 2003, however, it only increased to 14.6% in 2008 among children aged 2 to 4 years in low-income households, based on the CDC’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System data.

“These new data provide some encouragement, but remind us of two things — too many young children are obese and we must not become complacent in our efforts to reduce obesity among young children,” William H. Dietz, MD, director of the division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC, said in a press release. “Childhood obesity remains a major public health problem that increases the risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and adult obesity.”

Researchers at the CDC randomly selected one record per year from 37 children at birth to age 4 years enrolled in federally funded programs serving low-income children. The researchers estimated obesity prevalence in 1998, 2003 and 2008.

Constant prevalence rates

According to the report, the prevalence of obesity for low-income children has remained constant or declined since 2003 in about half of the states, territories and Indian tribal organizations.

American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2%) children are the only groups with increasing rates between 2003 and 2008. Obesity prevalence among these children continued to rise about a half percentage point each year from 2003 to 2008. Obesity prevalence was highest among American Indian and Alaska Native children (21.2%) and Hispanic (18.5%) children during 2008 and lowest among white (12.6%), black (11.8%) and Asian-American and Pacific Islander (12.3%) children.

In 2008, only Colorado and Hawaii reported 10% or less of low-income, preschool-aged children were obese.

“Childhood obesity remains a serious public health problem even among this subset, particularly among American Indian and Alaska Native children,” according to an accompanying Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report editorial. “A sustained and effective public health response is necessary across the United States to reduce childhood obesity. Strategies should emphasize improving environments and policies that promote physical activity and a healthy diet.”

Sharma AJ. MMWR.2009;58:769-773.