CIENCIASMEDICASNEWS: CDC Reports Modest Drop in Obesity Among 2 to 4 year old WIC Participants

jueves, 17 de noviembre de 2016

CDC Reports Modest Drop in Obesity Among 2 to 4 year old WIC Participants

CDC Reports Modest Drop in Obesity Among 2 to 4 year old WIC Participants

34 states report a modest decrease in obesity among young children enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) between 2010 and 2014.

The percentage of obesity among 2-4 years olds participating in WIC decreased from 15.9 percent in 2010 to 14.5 percent in 2014.

All major ethnic groups saw modest improvements in obesityprevalence among young children enrolled in WIC.

These findings come from a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), published in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [1].

In 2013-2014, the overall obesity prevalence in all children in the US aged 2-5 was 9.4%.[2]Childhood obesity is more prevalent among lower-income young-children. These children are oftendisproportionately affected by barriers such as access to healthy, affordable foods and beverages and opportunities for low-cost physical activity.

Authors noted several factors may have contributed to the drop in obesity among WIC toddlers:

WIC food package redesign: In 2009, the WIC food packages were redesigned to align with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
National awareness: Obesity programs and reports such as Let’s Move! and the Institute of Medicine recommendations for childhood obesity prevention policies raised awareness of this issue.
Federal support of state and local health agencies: CDC provides funding, training, and tools to all 50 states and D.C. to address childhood obesity prevention in Early Care and Education settings.

Other factors that could be responsible for the forward progress are community and state/local partnerships. Focused investments by foundations and non-profits have played an important role in supporting communities to address childhood obesity across the nation. State and local leaders are partnering with civic leaders and child care providers to make community changes that promote breastfeeding, healthy eating and active living.

This CDC report is the first to use the WIC Participant Characteristic data from the USDA. For previous WIC PC data, please visit DNPAO’s Data, Trends, and Maps interactive database. Continued monitoring of childhood obesity will be important to determine if trends continue downward across the nation. Continued focus and investment is needed to maintain this progress.

For more information about CDC’s childhood obesity prevention efforts, visitwww.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood.

References

[1] Pan L, Freedman DS, Sharma AJ, Castellanos-Brown K, Park S, Smith RB, Blanck HM. Trends in Obesity Among Participants Aged 2-4 Years in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—United States, 2000-2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;(65)(45).

[2] Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Lawman HG, Fryar CD, Kruszon-Moran D, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Trends in Obesity Prevalence Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 1988-1994 Through 2013-2014. JAMA 2016;315(21):2292-9.

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