By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – From 1986 to 1998, the prevalence of overweight children in the US increased dramatically, according to a report in the December 12th issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The increase was greatest among African American and Hispanic children.
Dr. Richard R. Strauss, from the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Dr. Harold A. Pollack, from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, assessed the prevalence of overweight children among 8270 children surveyed between 1986 and 1998.
For all ethnic groups, the researchers noted a steady significant increase in the percentage of overweight children. By 1998, 21.5% of African American children, 21.8% of Hispanic children, and 12.3% of non-Hispanic white children were classified as overweight. Furthermore, the children classified as overweight in 1998 were significantly heavier than those considered overweight in 1986.
Multivariate analysis revealed that the overweight epidemic increased fastest among minorities and southerners, the investigators note. The number of children at risk for being overweight increased significantly among minorities but not among white children.
"In the 1990s, prevalence of overweight adults increased by more than 50%," Dr. Strauss told Reuters Health. "Corresponding data were not available in children, but all previous studies suggested that it was creeping up," he added.
"In our study, we used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which tracks children every 2 years," Dr. Strauss noted. "We found a dramatic increase in the prevalence of children who were overweight," he said. "The increase was most significant in minorities, but I would say that all children are at risk at this point."
Dr. Strauss said "there has been a shift in the activity patterns of children." Twenty to 30 years ago, "children didn't have many indoor activities at their disposal so they were more likely to go outside and play," he noted. "Now, the primary social or entertainment activity of children occurs in front of a television or a computer," he added.
"No single physician can solve the problem," Dr. Strauss stated. "Parents, schools, communities, and physicians need to work together to curb the overweight epidemic."
JAMA 2001;286:2845-2848.
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