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 One
of the largest studies of public school students has confirmed the
public’s worst fears--the childhood obesity epidemic looks
much worse than previously predicted.
A report showed that 40 percent of the students living in Arkansas
were either overweight or on their way to becoming overweight. It
was also reported that the nation as a whole consisted of 30 percent
overweight kids and a large portion of the rest of them were on
their way to developing weight problems.
Although it is a known fact that lower-income families such as
those who live in Arkansas typically had higher incidences of obesity,
researchers believe that the obesity problem has spread across all
income ranges.
Experts feared that overweight children would grow to be overweight
adults with an increased likelihood of developing low self-esteem
and physical health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure
and bone diseases.
Findings From the Obesity Report
- 22 percent of the students were overweight while 18 percent
had a high probability of developing future weight problems.
- 58 percent were classified in the normal weight range and two
percent fell in the underweight category.
- African-American and Hispanic students had a greater tendency
to become overweight than other children.
Schools in Arkansas plan to mail letters out to parents requesting
that their child seek advice from their doctor if he or she was
overweight. Other recommendations to the parents included cutting
back on the number of hours their children watched television, encouraging
more exercise and guiding them to drink low-calorie beverages.
USA
Today June 4, 2004
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