According to a recent Boston Globe article, researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that the percentage of obese girls under age six dropped from 9% to just over 6% from 2004 to 2008. For boys, the rate decreased from almost 11% to just under 9%. The results were less promising when socioeconomic conditions were factored in. Children receiving Medicaid-funded care saw their obesity rates drop from 12.3% to 11.5%, a change the researchers attributed to statistical chance, while children covered by other health insurance saw a statistically significant decline from 10.1% to 8.3%.
The study analyzed electronic records of nearly 37,000 children from birth to age five in a pediatric medical practice located in eastern Massachusetts.
Researchers do not conclude why the rates declined, although they speculate that increased breastfeeding and reduced smoking during pregnancy could play a role. Smoke exposure in the womb can interfere with appetite regulation. Some suggest that the declines may simply result from a much more concerted effort by parents, doctors, and preschools to prevent excessive weight gain.
