Children’s Health Statistics and Research

Obesity is easier to prevent than to treat, and prevention focuses in large measure on parent education. Obesity prevention programs should be set in motion at infancy or even earlier………………….Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, March 2010
Infant obesity has risen more than 70 percent since 1980. …Harvard University, March 2010
We only spend 14% of public education dollars on children before they turn five. Ironically, it's this time in a child's development when 90% of brain growth occurs……………….American Association for the Advancement of Science, March 2010
80% of elementary schools have eliminated recess and new schools are being built without playgrounds… reason: children need more time for 'academics' in order to pass tests…………
American Association for the Child's Right to Play, March 2010

A body of high-quality evidence is consistent in suggesting that PA (physical activity) levels within child care centers are typically very low, and levels of sedentary behavior are typically high. …………………………………Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, March 2010
Regularly provided, structured physical activity programs can increase the amount and intensity of physical activity that children receive and improve children's motor skills…………………...
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, March, 2010
Obese children as young as 3 years old have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that in adults is considered an early warning sign for possible future heart disease. …………………Pediatrics, March 2010
When parents of 3-6 year olds can count calories eaten outside of the home, the food they get for their kids have fewer calories. They chose about 100 calories less than parents who don’t see that information………………………U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2010

The prevalence of obesity among preschool-aged children in the United States who regularly share evening meals with their families, get enough sleep during the week, and have limited weekday television-viewing time is 40% lower than those who are not exposed to any of these household routines………………………………Pediatrics, Feb. 2010
Obesity prevention efforts should begin before age two, when children reach a 'tipping point' in a progression that leads to obesity later in life………………Clinical Pediatrics, Feb. 2010
Children, even very young babies, can have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that all children age 3 and older have yearly blood pressure measurements…………………………………….American Heart Association, Jan. 2010
5% of children have blood pressure that’s higher than normal……………American Academy of Pediatrics, Jan. 2010

A child living in a house with smokers will be picking up third-hand smoke while lying on carpets, playing with toys or touching furniture if these items have been near someone smoking. These collections of nicotine residue react with nitrous acid, a common indoor air pollutant, to produce potent carcinogens - cancer-causing substances………Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2010
Cereals advertised to youngsters have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber and 60 percent more sodium than those aimed at adults. And products with dubious nutritional profiles average three to four health claims on every box…………..Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, Jan. 2010
Some commercially prepared foods contain more calories than the nutrition fact label indicates. The measured caloric (energy) value of 29 quick-serve and sit down restaurant foods was on average 18% higher than the label indicated. Ten common supermarket frozen meals were also found to be 8% higher in calories……Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Jan. 2010
A new study validates the existence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in children as young as 3 years and shows that those with major depression at this young age are almost 4 times more likely than their age-matched counterparts to have depression 2 years later………Archives of General Psychiatry, Aug. 2009

Reducing childhood obesity will require effective prevention strategies that focus on environments and policies promoting physical activity and a healthy diet for families, child care centers, and communities……….CDC's Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, July 2009
There is an association between asthma symptoms and obesity in preschool children. The relationship is evident for both male and female sex…………Journal of Asthma, May, 2009
Obesity of boys is strongly assumed to be caused by environmental factors …….. Anthropologischer Anzeiger, March 2009
Among a longitudinal cohort of African-American preschool children aged 3–5 , high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was significantly associated with an increased risk for obesity………………………………………….Obesity, Feb. 2009

Research has shown that, most often, young children's physical activity in preschools is primarily sedentary in nature. In a cross-sectional study, kids spent 89% of their days at daycare centers doing sedentary activities.......................... Child Development, Jan./Feb. 2009
It is estimated that only 1% of obesity is related to genetic factors.............. Journal of Young Investigators, Jan. 2008
Young children rated 5 meals packaged in McDonalds wrappers as tasting better than the same 5 meals packaged similarly without a brand name………...….Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med. 16, 2007
Obese children are more prone to flattened arches which can lead to a number of other foot problems……..…Int. Journal of Pediatric Obesity, July 2007

Sports programs that introduce competition at a young age may lead to feelings of failure or frustration. In addition, overuse injuries and irreparable damage to the musculoskeletal system may occur ……….................................................................................. Pediatrics, Sept. 2007
Overweight girls scored lower on math, reading and social tests if they were overweight between kindergarten and finishing third grade above those girls who were never overweight. ……………………………………….......................................................Int Journal of Obesity, Sept. 2006
Girls as young as 5 ½ are already showing dissatisfaction with their body shape. Those who played with Barbie dolls were unhappy with the shape of their bodies compared to those who played with more average looking type dolls….........................….Developmental Psych, 42, 2006
Parents of overweight children pack a lunch for them 15% less often than parents of normal weight children….................Healthy Lunchbox Survey, 2006

Exposure to 2 or more hours of television viewing per day was associated with an increased risk of obesity in children as young as 3-5 years……….........…… Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med 160, 2006
In a study done with nurses, a higher incidence of breast cancer was found for those who regularly ate French fries during the ages of 3-5….............………Int. Journal of Cancer, Aug. 2005
Cancer prevention strategies need to begin in early childhood and continue throughout life……………............................…Journal of Nutrition, Dec. 2005
Children who consume breakfast are less likely to be overweight....... J Am Diet Assoc, May 2005

Experts suggest that children need a full 60 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise each day to control unfavorable behaviors…………......….Journal of Pediatrics, 146. 2005
Early eating habits predispose children to chronic health problems in later life…………………….………….….Maternal &Child Nutrition, July 2005
Preschool children given the choice chose heavier figures less often for a playmate than those who are thin or average in weight ….......................…J. Pediatric Psych, 29. 2004
Experts predict that if the current obesity rate continues or worsens, it’s possible that for the first time in history, parents may very well outlive their children…….......……Surgeon General, 2004

Children born from obese mothers are almost three times as likely to become obese as children born to normal weight mothers………......…..Pediatrics, July 2004
Children who eat out consume almost twice the amount of calories they would eat if they had their meal at home…………..................…Pediatrics, Jan. 2004
Preschoolers move moderately to vigorously an average of only 7.7 minutes per hour during the course of the preschool day………….......…..Pediatrics, 111. 2004
Vascular dysfunctions (precursors to heart disease) can be reversed when young children exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet………………..Circulation, 109, 2004
The more television children watch, the less fruit and vegetables they eat.....................Harvard School of Public Health, Dec. 2003
Jumping exercises may add bone mass that could delay osteoporosis in later years...........Pediatrics, December, 2003
An estimated one in eight U.S. schoolchildren has risk factors that could signal heart disease in the years to come....Exercise reduces the deadly changes that underlie heart disease.....................American Heart Association, Annual Conference, Nov. 9, 2003
There are an estimated 17.6 million overweight children under age 5. In European countries, 20% are obese or overweight....................... The World Health Organization, 2003
It remains exceedingly difficult for overweight children and adolescents to lose weight, and even more difficult to sustain that loss long term. The ultimate goal must be prevention of the development of overweight in children and adolescents................JAMA. 2003; 289.
Only 1% of American children meet all of the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid. Sixteen per cent of children meet none.......................................J. Pediatric Health Care 17(4): 210-215, 2003
...Sweetened drinks may be a significant factor in the increase in obesity among children in the United States.........David Levitsky, Journal of Pediatrics, June 2003
One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic unless many more people start eating less and exercising more. Half of black and Hispanic children are likely to develop the disease............Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2003
15% of all US children and almost a quarter of black and Hispanic children weigh too much. ...........Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2003
High cholesterol levels in early childhood predict cholesterol problems later in life...........Columbia University Researchers, June 2003
Children taking oral doses of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs need exercise and a sound diet to overcome the bone-damaging side effects.................Professor N. Bishop, University of Sheffield, June 2003
Out of 45,000 children studied, obesity was identified in fewer than 1% of visits to the doctor or urgent care center..................Michigan State University, May 29, 2003
Super-sizing preschoolers' meals lead children to take bigger bites and consume more calories than when allowed to serve themselves...............................USDA Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, May 2003
Parents have more potential to influence their children's eating habits than anyone else. As children grow older, this influence decreases...........American Dietetic Association, May 2003
Higher levels of body fat at age 5 means earlier puberty for girls. Early puberty has health consequences such as increasing lifelong exporsure to estrogen which may elevate risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Early prevention and treatment programs for overweight must begin in the preschool years.............................................Pediatrics, 111:815-821, 2003
The process of heart disease begins in childhood. Prevention holds the most promise when initiated in young children.................Circulation, March 25, 2003
Recent findings suggest that stregnth training during childhood and adolescence may actually make bones stronger........................Dr. Avery Faigenbaum, University of Massachusetts, April 2003
One in 7 children in the US is obese. Obese children have a health-related quality of life as low as that reported by young cancer patients......................................JAMA 289: 1805-1812, 1813-1819, 2003
Waiting until children are older to attack childhood obesity can shorten their lives from 5-20 years………………………………………………….…..Nutrition Rev, 61. 2003
Asthma risk increases for obese girls - up to 7 times........................American J. Respir Crit Care Med 2001; 163:1344-1349 and Allergy 2001;56:318-322

The prevalence of childhood diabetes is expected to increase by another 165% by the year 2050. The earlier the onset, the shorter the lifespan……………….J. American Medical Assoc., 290, 2003
The connection between physical fitness and academic achievement is clear. Parents and teachers need to insist on quality physical education programs for ALL of Californina's chidren.............................California Department of Education, Dec. 10, 2002
The younger the age at which a child becomes overweight, the greater the likelihood that the child will remain overweight……….Am Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Sept. 2002
Pediatric obesity related hospital costs have tripled during the past 20 years, now 127 million dollars a year and climbing…………………………Obesity Research, 9, 2002
The highest snack intake for all children is found in 2-5 year olds. These snack foods alone add an additional 30% of calories to their daily diet……Pediatrics, April 2001
Poor diet and inactivity are the second greatest identifiable killers in the United States today, killing 300,000 people annually (tobacco is the highest with 400,000). Together, these two factors account for more deaths annually than all other causes of death combined.........................................National Center for Health Stastisics, 2000
Required health education for children from elementary through high school grades included no more than 5 hours of nutrition information per year. Over 60% of teachers who provided this education had not had any nutrition in-service in the predeeding two years..................................Center for Disease Control and Prevention's School Health Policies and Programs Study 0f 2000
...The prevalance of fatty streaks in the coronary arteries increase with age, comprising 50% of arteries at ages 2 to 15...................................Medical Tribune: Internist $ Cardiologist Edition 39(13): 1998
In the last 20 years the prevalence of overweight has increased among 4- and 5-year-old children. Recently findings have been extended to include infants and toddlers as well.............................Pediatrics, vol. 101, January 1998
Prevalence of overweight among girls is higher - more than 10% of 4-5 year old girls are overweight............Pediatrics, vol. 99, No. 4 April 1997.
Mexican American children have the highest prevalence of overweight............................Pediatrics vol.99, April 1997.
The average Kindergartner has watched more than 5,000 hours of TV by the age of 5 - that's more than enough hours to earn a college degree............................Hyatt, G. & Whitlatch, S (1991). Fitplay: Building Healthy Lifestyles for Kids. pg. 6.
Atherosclerosis is a pediatric problem. Becases patterns of life-style are set in childhood, it is during childhood that measures to prevent progression of atherosclerosis may be effective..................Pediatric Pathology 1990; 10(1-2): 253-271
Risk factors for coronary heart disease can be easily identified in childhood and are largely a result of lifestyle habits acquired early in life. Fatty streaks are seen in children as young as 2.....................Med Exerc Nutrition Health 1994;3:194-205
Efforts to prevent overweight, including encouragement of physical activity and improved diets, should begin in early childhood....................Pediatrics vol.99 No. 4, April 1997
The best predictor of exercise behavior in kids is perceived competence. Kids who feel good about their fitness abilities are more likely to participate in the type of activity necessary to improve health and fitness...........................Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, vol 67, 324-336, 1996.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans - almost equal to all other causes of death combined............American Heart Association
Language skills are enhanced by a regular physical education program.....................Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, vol 13, 302-315, 1996
Preschool physical education has been shown to assist children at risk of developmental delay/school failure........Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, vol 13, 288-300, 1996
The development of physical skills contributes to cognitive, social and emotional development. Movement skills help children develop self-confidence and the opportunity to be physically fit.............................Sanders, S.W. (1992). Designing Preschool Movement Programs, pg. 3.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends regular physical activity for all preschoolers

Statistics - Preschool Children

Children’s Health Statistics and Research