The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) delivered good news on Tuesday—obesity among low-income preschoolers declined from 2008 to 2011 in 19 of 43 states and territories studied. California, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New York are among the states that are showing decreases.
This month’s CDC Vital Signs serves as a reminder of how big the childhood obesity problem is, noting that about 1 in 8 preschoolers in the United States is obese, and the rates are even higher among black and Hispanic children. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden credits improvements to the Federal Government’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and community efforts to increase nutrition and physical activity as factors contributing to the declining obesity rate.
Read about the CDC study in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and see Cathy Payne and Michelle Healy’s USA TODAY article for a look at three trends—physical activity programs, an increase in breastfeeding, and an improved WIC program—that are helping to decrease childhood obesity.