According to the New York Times, federal health authorities recently reported a 43% drop in obesity among American two- to five-year-old children in the past decade. The Times noted several possible explanations for the decrease:
- children consumed fewer sugary beverages than they did a decade ago;
- more women breast-fed their infants, which can lead to a healthier weight gain range for young children;
- the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) increased funding for fresh fruits and vegetables and reduced funding for fruit juice, cheese, and eggs; and
- state, local, and federal policies aimed at combating childhood obesity are beginning to achieve desirable results.
The obesity rate among youths ages two to 19 as a whole has remained flat since 2003. However, according to Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, a professor of medicine and public health at Emory University, the decline in obesity among the two- to five-year-old cohort is significant since obesity that becomes established at that age is very difficult to combat once a child gets older.
You can read the full report published in the Journal of American Medical Association (subscription required).
