| The picture of health presented by current | | | | regarding having bodily curves or being bodily thin, |
| childhood obesity statistics is not a rosy one. The | | | | the real issue is health. How do the curves or the |
| percentage of obese or overweight children in the | | | | thins relate to lifestyle conditions like diabetes and |
| United States has roughly doubled between 1971 | | | | hypertension?One of the startling realities I came |
| and 2000.Obesity has become widespread among | | | | across as I looked at some childhood obesity |
| both adults and children in the United States. The | | | | statistics was this sentence from a research |
| prevalence of overweight and obese children has | | | | articls: "Sports participation among children is |
| increased from 15% in 1971 to more than 30% in | | | | declining."Children who are "not thin" and have lots |
| 2000.Does obesity follow ethnicity?There are large | | | | of "curves", in other words, who are considered |
| disparities in the childhood overweight situation in | | | | obese or overweight **and** are are not |
| the Los Angeles County in California. One report | | | | physically active, have significant odds of being |
| published in January, 2006, shows children of Latin | | | | type 2 diabetics before they even become |
| American decent leading the "Overweight" | | | | adults.Children who are thin, i.e. are not considered |
| competition in that western US state.It shows the | | | | obese or overweight, **but** who are not |
| childhood obesity problem divided among ethnic | | | | physically active, can become overweight and |
| groups like this:19.4% ... African Americans (or | | | | have the same fate as those who are already |
| Blacks)17.6% ... American Indians11.9% ... | | | | overweight or obese.Children especially need |
| Asians25.2% ... Latinos20.0% ... Pacific | | | | proper diet and physical exerciseWith these areas |
| Islanders13.0% ... whitesOne can surmise that this | | | | of our lives being neglected everyday, we can |
| may be typical of the general US population. I | | | | expect the childhood obesity statistics to continue |
| suppose that any variation in this distribution may | | | | to point towards a grim future for the health and |
| simply follow the demographic make-up of | | | | wellness of future generations.Physical activity |
| respective localities.But I remember reading an | | | | among children should not be allowed to wane. As |
| article where the writer was ranting about how | | | | Broderick, Winter, and Allan (2006) remarked, |
| Caucasians and Latin Americans viewed the | | | | "Sport and physical activity are important in |
| definition of overweight or being "fat" | | | | childhood for optimising bone mass and reducing |
| differently.According to article, the meaning of | | | | obesity and insulin resistance."Coupling the lack of |
| overweight differs from one culture to the other. | | | | physical activity with the prevalence of junk food, |
| Apparently, Whites like to be "movie-star-thin" but | | | | excess sugar and fats in the diet, one can expect |
| Latinos like the "curves." In other words, thin looks | | | | this trend to produce a larget segment of the |
| sick to Latinos and curves look "fat" to | | | | world population having type 2 diabetes.[For a |
| whites.What childhood obesity statistics predict | | | | longer version of this article, including a graph, you |
| about diabetesWhatever the view one takes | | | | may see the author's website. |