Study: Nearly 1 in 5 American four year-olds are obese

[Special K]

By Madison Park

CNN

(CNN) -- Nearly one-fifth of American 4-year-olds are obese, and children of color are at higher risk, according to new research.

Researchers calculated the body mass index from a sample of 8,550 Hispanic, black, white, Asian and Native American 4-year-olds. The children were born in 2001, and in 2005, their height and weight were measured -- 18.4 percent of them were obese.

"Significant differences in the prevalence of obesity between racial/ethnic groups were evident at 4 years of age," the researchers wrote in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Using body mass index, they found that 31.2 percent of American Indian/Native Alaskans, 22 percent of Hispanics, 20.8 percent of blacks, 15.9 percent of whites and 12.8 percent of Asians were obese.

"It's surprising that there are large differences by racial/ethnic group by that age," said Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at The Ohio State University and lead study author.

Anderson and co-author Robert Whitaker's analysis showed that children were becoming obese even before encountering soda and candy vending machines in schools.

"These results really do point to the need for us to focus attention on early childhood and the need for research to understand how these differences can emerge so early," Anderson said. "To do that, we may need to understand the different family and cultural factors that are at play in these children's lives."

To view the rest of this article: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/07/obesity.preschool.children/

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Wow, this is just astounding. I knew obesity rates, particularly among children, were rising in this country, but not to this extent. This is just ridiculous.

We were just discussing this in a health disparities class an hour ago and there were many interesting solutions being tossed around. I'm interested in hearing what some ES members think about this and what can possibly be done to address this massive problem...

My personal opinion is that we need to start cracking down on parents here as I firmly believe this is a form of child neglect. The fact that almost 20% of FOUR year-olds aren't just chubby or overweight, but are clinically obese is absolutely outrageous.

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

It's just sad.

I've been disgusted by what I've seen parents let their children become. I agree Keeastman, it is absolutely child neglect. There is no excuse for it and it endangers their child's lives.

[GoSkins561]

Kids get fat because their parents let them get fat. Instead of making them eat what's for dinner they take the easy way out and make special meals(chicken nuggets/fish sticks/ hot dogs) for their kids and give them crap for snacks.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I have been for food taxes on crap food.

Chips, soda, twinkies, ho-hos, fast food. I have argued it way too much and think it is the best solution to curbing this up coming epidemic.

Make it too expensive to buy crap food. Thats why poor people in American are fat, all they can afford is crap food

[Midnight Judges]

We are a nation of fat asses. Of course we're going to have fat ass kids. I know two fat asses who drink trim spa and then go out and eat fried chicken wings with so much ranch dressing on them it looks like a freakin ice cream cone.

I don't know what the solution is other than to tell these fat ass Parents to get off their fat asses and make their fat ass kids exercise.

[No_Pressure]

How about we just let all these fat asses eat themselves fat, have heart attacks, die, and we'll be left with the fit people in the world as the ones who go on to longevity and not a history of illness and disease? Or perhaps these fat people don't die and they just live their lives as fat asses...so what? Some guy next door to me wants to be disgustingly overweight that's his business.

[Darth Tater]

Kids get fat because their parents let them get fat. Instead of making them eat what's for dinner they take the easy way out and make special meals(chicken nuggets/fish sticks/ hot dogs) for their kids and give them crap for snacks.

However, the average American eats about the same number of calories that his great grandfather ate.

[SkinsHokieFan]

How about we just let all these fat asses eat themselves fat, have heart attacks, die, and we'll be left with the fit people in the world as the ones who go on to longevity and not a history of illness and disease? Or perhaps these fat people don't die and they just live their lives as fat asses...so what? Some guy next door to me wants to be disgustingly overweight that's his business.

That would be great, but the way our society is set up, we will end up paying for these people

I bet a vast majority of obese people in America are on either Medicare or Medicaid, and a good chunk (pun intended) of these kids are on SCHIP.

This blows our budgets out of the water

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

its called excercise.....kids cant play all day like they used to because of the threat of child molesters and ****.

I can remember playing soccer or baseball allllllllll day when I could, and in the summer, I spent all day at the pool.

[No_Pressure]

That would be great, but the way our society is set up, we will end up paying for these people

I bet a vast majority of obese people in America are on either Medicare or Medicaid, and a good chunk (pun intended) of these kids are on SCHIP.

This blows our budgets out of the water

Then we deserve to sink as a result of the retarded and unconstitutional programs our federal government has created.

[SkinsHokieFan]

its called excercise.....kids cant play all day like they used to because of the threat of child molesters and ****.

I can remember playing soccer or baseball allllllllll day when I could, and in the summer, I spent all day at the pool.

Its also called the laptop, the X box 360 and the Blue Ray DVD player

I am actually happy my parents were kinda poor when I was little, all I had was my yard and my imagination.

As harsh as it is, my kids won't have video games to play with

[SkinInsite]

You gonna eat that?

[SC_RedskinsFan]

You gonna eat that?

OMG why would you let your kid keep stuffin double quarter pounders down if he looked like that? :whoknows:

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Its also called the laptop, the X box 360 and the Blue Ray DVD player

I am actually happy my parents were kinda poor when I was little, all I had was my yard and my imagination.

As harsh as it is, my kids won't have video games to play with

I think this is a much better answer than child molesters. lol

Kids have the internet and Xbox now. Screw tag, cops and robbers, and capture the flag.

Seriously, I hated being inside when I was a kid. I was always playing sports after school and if I wasn't doing that I was in the woods with friends building treehouses.

And I agree with Goskins that the parents are mostly to blame.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

OMG why would you let your kid keep stuffin double quarter pounders down if he looked like that? :whoknows:

exactly, I'd have him outside running after butterflys or something...I'd tell him that if he caught a butterfly, I'd give him a candybar (he'd never catch a butterfly )

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

I think this is a much better answer than child molesters. lol

that's what i meant by "and ****"

[DeanCollins]

so who's kids on ES are obese? there are certainly more than four of you with 4 year olds.

[Dictator]

You know, a lot of the cheap food available for those who don't make a lot of money is high in calories and fat. It's probably not a case of parents taking their kids to Burger king everyday.

Fruits and Vegetables are expensive for a lot of people.

[Midnight Judges]

You know, a lot of the cheap food available for those who don't make a lot of money is high in calories and fat. It's probably not a case of parents taking their kids to Burger king everyday.

Fruits and Vegetables are expensive for a lot of people.

That's a good point. That stuff reallly does add up.

OTOH, exercise is free.

[Bang]

Well, I went outside and lined up the first five kids I could find in the neighborhood, and sure enough, part of little Billy Johnson was fat as a pig.

I went right over to his house and smacked his mama in the mouth.

~Bang

[zoony]

Very sad- something really needs to be done.

This appears to be an economic issue more than anything. Ironically enough, the poorer the kids, the fatter. (same for adults)

[GoSkins561]

The picture of the kids at McD's is straight up wrong, their parents should be smacked. It is one thing for a kid to be naturally big, but to let your id get that fat should be a a crime.

[Dictator]

That's a good point. That stuff reallly does add up.

OTOH, exercise is free.

I agree. You aren't going to be skinny without exercise. But 4 year olds aren't going to go out on their own. They rely on their parents. Sadly, those parents might not have the energy after eating all the ****ty cheap food. it's almost cyclical.

Of course, that not an excuse. If you truly love your kids, they should be priority #1.

I'd advocate revising what can/cant be bought in the welfare system. If you wanna load up on apples/salad, be my guest. If you wanna buy chips. Hell no.

[PeterMP]

However, the average American eats about the same number of calories that his great grandfather ate.

Do you have a reference or a link for that?

[Special K]

How about we just let all these fat asses eat themselves fat, have heart attacks, die, and we'll be left with the fit people in the world as the ones who go on to longevity and not a history of illness and disease? Or perhaps these fat people don't die and they just live their lives as fat asses...so what? Some guy next door to me wants to be disgustingly overweight that's his business.

Actually, no.

Obesity-related diseases place a heavy burden on our health care system, a burden that affects each and every one of us is many ways.

Evidence shows that there are health disparities amongst socioeconomic classes and region, etc. There are a lot of issues that come into play with this subject.

That being said, I find this prevalence of OBESE four year-olds to be completely unacceptable. I would be for fast food/junk food taxes as well, if nothing else than to help offset costs obesity places on our health care system. But to me, obesity in children goes beyond just a "fat tax" solution. I really think this should be regarded as child abuse and I think we need to throw the book at parents who are enabling their young children to eat crap, crap, and more crap which endangers their lives.