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Adding urgency to Michelle Obama’s initiative to tackle childhood obesity is the release of two new studies published in the medical journal Health Affairs.  The studies indicate that American children are eating three snacks each day on top of three regular meals, a finding that could explain why the childhood obesity rate has risen to more than 16 percent since 2003.

Carmen Piernas and Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina reported that children are snacking so often that they are “moving toward constant eating,” a habit that is putting our children’s health at risk for obesity related diseases.

Piernas and Popkin looked at 31,337 children aged 2 to 18 from four different federal surveys on food and eating.  ”Childhood snacking trends are moving toward three snacks per day, and more than 27 percent of children’s daily calories are coming from snacks. The largest increases have been in salty snacks and candy. Desserts and sweetened beverages remain the major sources of calories from snacks,” they wrote.

“Children have increased their caloric intake by 113 calories per day from 1977 to 2006,” they added. “This raises the question of whether the physiological basis for eating is becoming deregulated, as our children are moving toward constant eating.”

In a second study in the journal, Christina Bethell of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland analyzed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health to find the rate of obesity for children 10 to 17 rose from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007.

Other studies have shown that obese children are more likely to stay obese as adults, and they develop chronic conditions at younger ages, burdening the healthcare system.

Michelle Obama told the School Nutrition Association that “Parents, educators and policymakers all hold responsibility for this childhood obesity epidemic.  Our kids didn’t do this to themselves.  From fast food, to vending machines packed with chips and candy, to a la carte lines, we tempt our kids with all kinds of unhealthy choices every day.  You see kids who are at higher risk of conditions like diabetes, and cancer, and heart disease, conditions that cost billions of dollars a year to treat.”

SOURCE:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100302/hl_nm/us_obesity_children_usa

Recent government data found that twenty percent of black and hispanic children ages 2 to 19 are obese, while only fifteen percent of white children in that same age category struggle with obesity. 

These findings have led to numerous additional studies aimed towards finding out why obesity tends to affect minorities more than their Caucasian counterparts.

A new study published in the medical journal ‘Pediatrics’ helps explain the excessively high obesity rates in minority children.

The study questioned approximately 2,000 Boston area mothers and examined over a dozen factors that can increase a child’s chances of becoming obese.  Almost every factor was more common in black and Hispanic children than in white children.

The risk factors examined included: mothers smoking during pregnancy, unusually rapid weight gain in young infants, starting solid food before 4 months, mothers’ routinely pressuring young kids to eat more, children sleeping less than 12 hours daily between 6 months and 2 years, and allowing very young kids to have sugary drinks, fast food, and allowing children to have televisions in their rooms.  Family income is often a factor, but so are cultural customs and beliefs, the study authors said.

Again, minorities were at higher risk than whites for nearly every factor.

In addition, the study found that many of the factors related to obesity were more common in low income, less educated families, including whites.

There is good news.  Almost every risk factor for childhood obesity can be changed, but ongoing educational programs must be developed to spread the word.  In most cases, a child’s health lies in the hands of mothers who need to be informed and educated about living healthy lifestyles and passing that information to their children.

SOURCE:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100301/ap_on_bi_ge/us_med_kids_and_obesity