Encourage Your Children to be Active!

Overweight/Obesity

• Obesity Threatens to Cut U.S. Life Expectancy!
• 30% of US adults 20 years of age and older (over 60 million people) are obese. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/
• Among children and teens aged 6-19 in the US, 16% (over 9 million) are considered overweight. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/
• Among children ages 2-5, the prevalence of overweight has increased from 7% to more than 10% since 1994. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2004; 291: 2847-50.

Disparities

• The obesity epidemic threatens everyone, but not everyone is equally at risk. Among children and adolescents, obesity is more common among African Americans and Hispanics. Source: A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States, A Statistical Sourcebook 2005. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association, p. 6.
• A 2004 literature review suggests that healthy foods cost more than less healthy, high-calorie foods. Source: Drewnowski A, Specter SE. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004; 79: 6-16.
• A 2002 study of more than 200 neighborhoods found that there are 3 times as many supermarkets in wealthy neighborhoods as in poor neighborhoods, and four times as many supermarkets in predominantly white neighborhoods as in predominantly African-American ones. Source: Morland K, Wing S, Diez Roux A, Poole C. Neighborhood characteristic associated with the location of food stores and food service places. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2002; 22[1]: 23-9.

Health Consequences of Overweight and Obesity

• Most overweight children have at least one major physiological risk factor (besides overweight) for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high insulin or high blood pressure. Source: Freedman DS, Dietz WH, Srinivassan SR, Berenson GS. The relation of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics 1999; 103: 1175-82.
• Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese. (Source: The Problem of Overweight in Children and Adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services Fact Sheet at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/
  fact_adolescents.htm
• Overweight children are more likely to have abnormally thick heart muscle tissue when they become adults, which increases the risk of heart attack and heart failure. Source: Li X, Li S, Ulusoy E, Chen W, Srinivassan SR, Berenson GS. Childhood adiposity as a predictor of cardiac mass in adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Circulation 2004; 110: 3488-92.
• For adults with a BMI above 45, life expectancy decreases by up to 20 years. Source: Fontaine KR, Redden DT, Wang C, et al. Years of life lost due to obesity. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2003:187-93.

Economic Burden of Overweight and Obesity

• The health-related economic cost to U.S. business is significant, representing about 5% of total medical care costs. Source: Thompson D, Edelsberg J, Kinsey KL, Oster G. Estimated economic costs of obesity to U.S. business. American Journal of Health Promotion 1998; 13[2]: 120-7.
• As BMI increased, so did the number of sick days, medical claims, and healthcare costs. Source: Burton WN, Chen CY, Schultz AB, Edington DW. The cost of body mass index levels in an employed population. Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co 1999; 80[3]: 8-14.
• Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children more than tripled between 1979 and 1999. Source: Wang G, Dietz WH. Economic burden of obesity in youths aged 5 to 17 years: 1979-1999. Pediatrics 2002; 109[5]: E81-E86.

Less Nutrition

• Studies have shown that, between 1977 and 1996, portion sizes for key food groups grew markedly in the U.S. One study of portion sizes for typical items showed that: Salty snacks increased from 132 calories to 225 calories, soft drinks increased from 144 calories to 193 calories, French fries increased from 188 calories to 256 calories, and hamburgers increased from 389 calories to 486 calories. Source: Nielson SJ, Popkin BM. Patters and trends in food portion sizes, 1977-1998. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2003; 289; 450-3.
• From 1994-1996 for children ages 6-19, only 14% met then-current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Pyramid recommendations for daily fruit intake (2-4 servings per day). Only 20% got enough vegetables (3-5 servings per day). Note: USDA recommendations were updated in 2005. Source: Gleason P, Suitor C. Children’s diets in the mid 1990s. Alexandria, VA: Department of Agriculture, January 2001.
• In 2000, 81% of men and 73% of women reported eating fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2000. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000.
• Despite USDA Food Pyramid recommendations to consume several daily servings of whole grains, in 1994-1996, intake of whole grains for children was one serving or less. Source: Enns CW, Mickle SJ, Goldman JD. Trends in food and nutrient intakes by children in the United States. Family Economy Nutrition Review 2002; 14[2]: 56-68.
• In 1977-78, children ages 6-11 drank about four times as much milk as soda. In 2001-2002, they drank about the same amounts of milk and soda. Source: Cleveland L. US Department of Agriculture; National Food Consumption Survey, 1977-78; What We Eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002.
• Factors that contribute to the increased popularity of restaurants and fast-food outlets include:

1. More two-income families, so often there is less time to prepare food.
2. Americans travel more than they used to and commute longer to jobs, in addition to working longer hours.
3. The average family is smaller today and more people live alone. (Source: A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States, A Statistical Sourcebook 2005. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association, p. 23)

• On average, children ages 11-18 eat at fast food restaurants twice a week. Source: Paeratakul S, Ferdinand D, Champagne C, Ryan D, Bray G. Fast food consumption among US adults and children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2003; 103: 1332-8.
• When children and teens eat fast food, they consume more calories, fat, carbohydrates, added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages. They also consume less fiber and milk, and fewer fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Source: Bowman SA, Gortmaker SL, Ebbeling CB, Pereira MA, Ludwig DS. Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. Pediatrics 2004; 113[1]: 112-8.

Lack of Physical Activity

• At least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week is the recommended minimum. However, only 23% of children and nearly 40% of adults get no free-time physical activity at all. Source: Physical activity levels among children aged 9-13 years—United States, 2002. MMWR 2003; 52[33]: 785-8 and National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 1999-2001.