The percentage of American kids who are overweight or obese has swelled to such a level that public health officials call it an epidemic. Now, an international study reveals that the rate of obesity among children in other nations is also on the rise.

It is suggested that in the US, obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths, and healthcare costs of American obese adults amount to about $100 billion.

Investigators reviewed national health surveys on more than 6,000 US children aged 6 to 18 years between 1988 to 1994. They also looked at data on more than 3,000 children in China and nearly 7,000 children in Russia, from the early 1990s.

In the US, about 11% of children were obese and slightly more than 14% were overweight.

In comparison, 6% of kids in Russia were obese and 10% were overweight. In China, 3.6% of kids were obese and 3.4% were overweight.

The study also uncovered differences in the way wealth and poverty influence a child's risk of obesity among nations. Chinese and Russian children from the wealthiest families were heavier than kids from poor families, while US children from the poorest families were more likely than their more well-off peers to be obese.

In China, richer people have better access to meat and other energy-dense foods, which are much more expensive than other foods such as vegetables, than the poor. In the US, higher socioeconomic groups usually consume more vegetables and fruits, which are less energy.

International Journal of Epidemiology 2001 October