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Obesity and Low Birth Weight Harm Kids' Health

Posted on: Friday, 25 April 2008, 11:25 CDT

A report tracking the health and well-being of young children in the United States says the overall health of American children is suffering due to rising obesity rates and an increasing percentage of children born with low birth weight.

The report showed American children between the ages of 6 and 11 are four times more likely to be obese than similarly aged children in the 1960s, despite the fact that, overall, U.S. children have seen improvements in their well-being in recent years.

The report examined the well-being of children in early childhood, those from birth to age five, and middle childhood, or those aged 6 to 11, from 1994 to 2006. It found that obesity among children in middle childhood is nearly four times more common than in children of the same age in a national survey in 1960s. For children aged 2 to 5, it is three times higher.

"These are dramatic increases in the prevalence of overweight children in American society from one generation to the next," the researchers wrote . "The importance of this trend for the health and well-being of children is difficult to exaggerate."

Researchers say overweight children often have elevated risk factors associated with heart disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. They are also at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Delayed childbearing among working mothers and an increase in the use of fertility drugs may be tied to the percentage of babies born with low birth weight—a percentage that rose from 12.3 percent from 1994 to 2005, according to the study.

Some trends were more positive.

There have been significant improvements in the mortality rates of children, specifically in children between ages 1 and 4. Death rates in that age group dropped to 29.4 deaths in 100,000 in 2005, compared to 42.9 deaths per 100,000 in 1994.

In the 5 to 9 age group, death rates dropped 27 percent to 14.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2005.

Researchers say factors ranging from better healthcare and nutrition to better car safety seats contributed to the improvements.

There is also a dramatic 84 percent drop in the rates of lead poisoning among children aged 0 to 6, the study found. Lead poisoning can cause physical, neurological and cognitive problems in children.

The report noted that many children remain at risk for moderate levels of lead in their blood and should be watched carefully.

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On the Net:

Duke University

Foundation for Child Development

Report: Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006

Source: redOrbit Staff and Wire Reports

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