Declines in Some Child Obesity Rates Are Good News, But Much Hard Work Remains

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Aug. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- New Rochelle, NY—Rates of childhood obesity showed the first signs of a small decline in 19 of 43 sites studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite this encouraging news, nearly 1 in 6 (17%) children and teens are obese, including 1 in 8 (12%) preschoolers. “We cannot become complacent,” says David L. Katz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Childhood Obesity (liebertpub.com/chi), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, and Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center (Derby, CT).

According to Dr. Katz, the glass is still at least half empty. “It will take much more than tiny declines in childhood obesity in some locations to turn this tide; premature complacency would be a very costly mistake. Some good news is very welcome, but we have a very long way to go. Millions of kids are obese and the rate of severe obesity in the U.S. is skyrocketing. Lifelong consequences such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and other obesity-related chronic diseases are increasing in children and teens.”

Action is needed to:

- Empower families with the skill set required to eat well, be active, and control weight
- Implement daily physical activity programming in all schools
- Engage adults in approaches to weight control that are healthful and suitable for children
- Continue to raise school nutrition standards
- Develop programming to enable healthful living, and disseminate the effective programming already established


About the Journal
Childhood Obesity is a bimonthly journal, published in print and online, and the journal of record for all aspects of communication on the broad spectrum of issues and strategies related to weight management and obesity prevention in children and adolescents. The Journal includes peer-reviewed articles documenting cutting-edge research and clinical studies, opinion pieces and roundtable discussions, profiles of successful programs and interventions, and updates on task force recommendations, global initiatives, and policy platforms. It reports on news and developments in science and medicine, features programs and initiatives developed in the public and private sector, and includes a Literature Watch. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Childhood Obesity website at liebertpub.com/chi.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, Population Health Management, Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT), and Journal of Women’s Health. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website at liebertpub.com.


Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.      140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215    liebertpub.com
Phone (914) 740-2100      (800) M-LIEBERT      Fax (914) 740-2101