This article is a collaboration between MedPage Today® and:
Overall obesity prevalence remained flat in the U.S. over the last decade, but there was a decline for kids ages 2 to 5, government researchers reported.
More than a third of adults (35%) and 17% of youth (ages 2 to 19) were obese in 2011-2012, with no significant change for either group since 2003-2004, Cynthia Ogden, PhD, of the CDC in Hyattsville, Md., and colleagues reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
But in children ages 2 to 5, obesity prevalence dropped to about 8.5% from 14% nearly a decade earlier (P=0.03), they found.
However, more women over 60 became obese with the prevalence rising to 38% from 31.5% in that group during that time (P=0.006).
The authors noted that these subanalyses didn't adjust for multiple comparisons, and the results "should be interpreted with caution." Instead, they emphasized that "0besity prevalence remains high and thus it is important to continue surveillance."
The CDC data comes from an analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 involving 9,120 people in the U.S.
Public health advocates who work on obesity were quick to hail the decline among the youngest children as a success. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J., called it a "remarkable turnaround."
But she pointed out the obesity rates stalled overall, a sign that public health officials and policymakers "still have significant work to do."
Ogden and colleagues noted that other studies have suggested a decline in obesity prevalence among children in the U.S. Low-income preschool children in federal nutrition programs in 18 states saw a drop in obesity rates between 2008 and 2011. And data from Massachusetts showed lower obesity prevalence among children under age 6 from 2003 to 2008.
In related news, First Lady Michelle Obama proposed new rules on Tuesday that would limit the types of foods and drinks that can be advertised in schools. The initiative marks the 4-year anniversary of her "Let's Move!" initiative.
Under the new rules, companies would no longer be able to use logos of high-calorie foods, like sugary beverages, on cups, vending machines, posters, or other promotional materials on school campuses.
Ogden and co-authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Journal of the American Medical AssociationSource Reference: Ogden CL, et al "Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the U.S., 2011-2012" JAMA 2014; DOI: 10.1001/jama.2014.732.