Preschool Obesity Prevention Working

"The obesity rate for U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 5 plunged 43 percent over the past decade," reports Education Week.  Based on data from the Center for Disease Control's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 2 to 5 years decreased from 14 percent in 2003-04 to just over 8 percent in 2011-12.

"The tide hasn't turned for all ages, however.  The CDC found no significant decline in obesity rate for children between the ages of 2 and 19, or adults between 2003-04 and 2011-12....

"The findings regarding 2- to 5-year-olds should be considered particularly encouraging for two reasons.  First, previous research has suggested that overweight and obese youths are far more likely to be overweight or obese as adults compared to normal-weight children.  By nipping obesity in the bud at an early age, there's a greater likelihood that children will grow up to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives.

"Additionally... parents are more likely to underestimate the weight of their obese children in that age range.  According to one of the studies reviewed in that analysis, 'parents of young children believe their children will eventually grow out of the excess weight.'"

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