Study Suggests Obesity Increasing Among US Children
2023-12-25
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1A new study adds to evidence that obesity is becoming more common in young children in America.
2The study appeared in the medical publication Pediatrics.
3The findings are similar to other national data, which suggests around 2.5 percent of all preschool-aged children were severely obese during the same period.
4One of the study's writers, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said "We were doing well and now we see this upward trend....We are dismayed at seeing these findings."
5Dismayed is a term that means very worried or disappointed.
6The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 who took part in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
7The program gives healthy foods and other services to preschool-aged children in low-income families.
8The children were weighed and measured.
9The researchers found that 2.1 percent of kids in the program were severely obese in 2010.
10Six years later, the rate had dropped to 1.8 percent.
11But by 2020, it was 2 percent.
12That amounts to about 33,000 of more than 1.6 million kids in the WIC program.
13The study showed major increases in 20 states. California's was the highest at 2.8 percent.
14There also were large increases in some racial and ethnic groups.
15The highest rate, about 2.8 percent, was among Hispanic children.
16Experts say severe obesity at a very early age is nearly irreversible - meaning the damage is nearly impossible to undo.
17Severe obesity is strongly linked with health problems and an early death.
18It is not clear why the increase occurred, Blanck said.
19When WIC obesity rates dropped, some experts suggested 2009 policy changes might be responsible.
20Those changes took out juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat, and tried to make it easier for people to buy fruits and vegetables.
21The package has not changed.
22But "the daily hardships that families living in poverty are facing may be harder today than they were 10 years ago, and the slight increases in the WIC package just weren't enough," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity researcher.
23The researchers faced difficulties.
24The number of kids in WIC declined in the past ten years.
25And the study included 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
26At the time, fewer parents brought their children in to see doctors.
27That reduced the amount of complete information available.
28Despite its limitations, it was a "very well done study," said Deanna Hoelscher, a childhood obesity researcher at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
29She added, "It gives you a hint of what's going on."
30What has happened since 2020 is not yet known.
31Some small studies have suggested an increase in childhood obesity - especially during the pandemic.
32During the pandemic, kids were kept home from schools.
33Their eating and bedtime schedules were changed and physical activity decreased.
34"We are thinking it's going to get worse," Hoelscher said.
35I'm John Russell.
1A new study adds to evidence that obesity is becoming more common in young children in America. 2The study appeared in the medical publication Pediatrics. 3The findings are similar to other national data, which suggests around 2.5 percent of all preschool-aged children were severely obese during the same period. 4One of the study's writers, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said "We were doing well and now we see this upward trend....We are dismayed at seeing these findings." 5Dismayed is a term that means very worried or disappointed. 6The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 who took part in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. The program gives healthy foods and other services to preschool-aged children in low-income families. The children were weighed and measured. 7The researchers found that 2.1 percent of kids in the program were severely obese in 2010. Six years later, the rate had dropped to 1.8 percent. But by 2020, it was 2 percent. That amounts to about 33,000 of more than 1.6 million kids in the WIC program. 8The study showed major increases in 20 states. California's was the highest at 2.8 percent. There also were large increases in some racial and ethnic groups. The highest rate, about 2.8 percent, was among Hispanic children. 9Experts say severe obesity at a very early age is nearly irreversible - meaning the damage is nearly impossible to undo. 10Severe obesity is strongly linked with health problems and an early death. 11It is not clear why the increase occurred, Blanck said. 12When WIC obesity rates dropped, some experts suggested 2009 policy changes might be responsible. Those changes took out juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat, and tried to make it easier for people to buy fruits and vegetables. 13The package has not changed. But "the daily hardships that families living in poverty are facing may be harder today than they were 10 years ago, and the slight increases in the WIC package just weren't enough," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity researcher. 14The researchers faced difficulties. The number of kids in WIC declined in the past ten years. And the study included 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At the time, fewer parents brought their children in to see doctors. That reduced the amount of complete information available. 15Despite its limitations, it was a "very well done study," said Deanna Hoelscher, a childhood obesity researcher at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She added, "It gives you a hint of what's going on." 16What has happened since 2020 is not yet known. Some small studies have suggested an increase in childhood obesity - especially during the pandemic. During the pandemic, kids were kept home from schools. Their eating and bedtime schedules were changed and physical activity decreased. 17"We are thinking it's going to get worse," Hoelscher said. 18I'm John Russell. 19Mike Stobbe reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22obesity - n. a medical problem involving having too much body fat. It increases the risk of many other diseases and health problems 23dismayed - adj. Worried, disappointed, or upset 24hint - n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer