Childhood obesity: What you need to know

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, as health officials across the United States shine a spotlight on what has been increasingly seen as a widespread epidemic, decades in the making.

According to NIH, childhood obesity prevalence among those aged 2 to 5 years has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Among those aged 6 to 11 years, the rate has tripled, and for those aged 12 to 19 years, it has more than tripled. The most recent National Health and Nutrition Surveys, conducted in 2007-2008, indicate that 17% of children aged 2 to 19 years are obese, while an additional 15% are considered overweight.

Below is a listing of the latest research and news regarding childhood obesity. Here’s what you need to know:

Childhood obesity risk increases with antibiotic use under age 2 years

The administration of three or more courses of antibiotics in children younger than 2 years was associated with an increased risk for childhood obesity, according to a retrospective cohort study. Read more.

First sugar-sweetened beverage tax in US decreases soda consumption

The 1-cent-per-ounce excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages implemented in Berkeley, California, has resulted in reduced regular soda consumption and increased water consumption among low-income residents. Read More.

Childhood obesity linked to increased risk for early onset hypertension

There was a “strong, statistically significant” association between increasing BMI and BP and the risk for hypertension, according to data published in Pediatrics, and the researchers are calling on physicians to more effectively help patients prevent obesity in early childhood. Read more.

Poverty, not race or ethnicity, primary driver of pediatric obesity

After evaluating 2009 data from 68 Massachusetts school districts on 111,799 first-, fourth-, seventh- and 10th-graders, researchers found that overweight or obesity in children is more strongly related to low-income status than to race or ethnicity. Read more.

Primary care program aimed at obese youth delivers lifestyle changes

A pilot intervention targeting children and delivered by trained primary care clinicians and staff resulted in significant clinical and lifestyle changes, including decreases in BMI. Read more.