FACT: 1 in 3 Children Are Overweight or Obese

The majority of American Youth are sedentary and do not eat healthy.   This has caused a major epidemic of childhood obesity. Over 30% of children between the ages of 2-19 are obese. This trend can be prevented and reversed, but there seems to be no signs of immediate decline.   Overweight and obesity threatens the health of milllions of American children.

There is a national movement to help prevent childhood obesity and reverse the potential dangerous consequences of physical inactivity and health deficiency of American children.  There is a call to action to support of our children, parents and communities to influence, implement and reinforce active healthy lifestyles beginning at birth.  It begins with you.

Michelle Obama as spokesperson for the “Let’s Move” campaign is gaining significant attention. The NFL and NHL has partnered with the campaign, sponsoring programs such as “Get Movin-60 Minutes of Exercise a Day."

Obesity

Health Consequences:
Childhood obesity is a medical concern, not a cosmetic issue.
  • An obese 4-year-old has a 20% chance of becoming an obese adult, and an obese teenager has up to an 80% chance of becoming an obese adult.
  • Overweight children and teens have been found to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and abnormal glucose tolerance.
  • Among 5-17 year olds, almost 60% of overweight children had at least one CVD risk factor while 25% of overweight children had two or more CVD risk factors.
  • Severely overweight and obese children often suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, isolation from their peers, low self-esteem, and eating disorders.



Academic Consequences:
A growing body of evidence indicates that poor nutrition, physical inactivity and obesity are associated with lower student achievement.
  • The psychological stress of social stigmatization can cause low self-esteem which, in turn, can hinder academic and social functioning, and persist into adulthood.
  • Hunger, physical and emotional abuse, and chronic illness can lead to poor school performance.
  • Overweight kindergartners had significantly lower math and reading test scores at the beginning of the year than did their non-overweight peers, and these lower scores continued into first grade.



Economic Consequences:
  • Childhood obesity is estimated to cost $14 billion annually in health expenses.
  • Severely overweight children miss four times as much school as normal weight kids.  If such health problems keep children out of school just one day per month, this could cost a large school district like Los Angeles about $15 million each year.  An average size school district could likely forfeit $95,000 to $160,000 annually.
  • Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children increased more than threefold from $35 million during 1979-1981 to $127 million during 1997-1999.