Climbing Obesity Rates Come to a Standstill: Study

Obesity rates in the U.S. may be approaching a plateau, as child and adult obesity  numbers have barely changed in the last decade, according to a new study. Some good news is that obesity rates in preschoolers have seen a significant drop, which is encouraging to pediatricians. Rates among aging women are not so positive.

According to a study recently published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, while obesity prevalence among children and adults remains alarmingly high in the U.S., its climbing numbers seem to have slowed to a near standstill over the last ten years. Encouragingly, obesity numbers among preschoolers has dropped by nearly half in the same time.

Researchers behind the study analyzed the body mass index (BMI) numbers of U.S. citizens recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) across five two-year periods between 2003 and 2012. A BMI of 30 or higher in individuals past the age of 2 years old indicated obesity. Researcher found that while more than a third of adults and 17 percent of youth remained obese -- nearly matching rates from 2003 -- there was no significant rise in obesity rates among any demographic.

Amazingly, one of the only noticeable changes in rates was among preschoolers 2 to 5 years old, who showed a drop in obesity rates from 13.9 percent to 8.4 percent. This may be in-part due to changes made in the Women Infants and Children regulation policy by the CDC back in 2009, which eliminated high-sugar content juices from infant food packages, limited saturated fats, and made it easier for mothers to buy fruits and vegetables. Breast feeding rates have also been increasing, according to the CDC, who claims that infants raised on mother's milk tend to have lower obesity rates as toddlers.

Still, not everything is good news, even with overall obesity rates among adolescents and adults at a standstill; obesity in women over the age of 60 continues to rise. The study provided evidence that shows a gradual rise in obesity rates in older women from 31 percent to 38 percent. This evidence backs theories stemming from other studies that show declining physical activity and heightened weight gain rates in women, particularly stay-at home mothers. It has been suggested that by the time they enter late-adulthood, overweight women are more likely to gain a BMI of 30 or greater.

Authors of the study provide no explanations for these changing rates, but suggest that even with general obesity rates coming to a virtual standstill, prevalence of obesity in the U.S. remains alarmingly high, and warrants continued surveillance.

Obesity rates in the U.S. may be approaching a plateau, as child and adult obesity  

The study was published in JAMA on February 26.

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