Childhood obesity rates in the US may have reached a plateau after decades of continuous increases, a government report has claimed.
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According to a study released yesterday (28 May) by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates in children and teens stabilised at 16% between 1999 and 2006.
The data, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was based on a survey of over 8,000 children aged between two and 19.
The report was unable to pin down the causes for a stabilisation in the level of childhood obesity. Causes posited include efforts to increase awareness, such as public health campaigns, and the possibility that there has been a natural levelling off related to the proportion of the population with a genetic susceptibility to obesity.
Cynthia Ogden, the lead author of the report and an epidemiologist for the National Center for Health Statistics, commented: “It doesn’t mean we’ve solved it, but maybe there is some opportunity for some optimism here.”
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By GlobalDataResponding to the report, the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s chief scientist, Robert Brackett, said the food and beverage industry was “committed” to reducing obesity.
Brackett added: “We will continue to provide consumers with healthier options, market our products responsibly and invest in programs that promote healthy eating and more physical activity.”
