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Research Areas

The State of Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our Schools

Full text of report
Summary of Findings
Recommendations
Press Release

Resulting Legislation

CT: An Act Concerning Childhood Nutrition in Schools, Recess and Lunch Breaks

CT Public Act No. 06-63 - An Act Concerning Healthy Food and Beverages in Schools

Introduction

In the United States, obesity and overweight prevalence is estimated to be at least 15 percent for all children and adolescents, and higher than 30 percent in some population subgroups. In 1998, the World Health Organization determined obesity to be a global epidemic. This epidemic affects not only adults, but also children and adolescents worldwide. In the United States, obesity and overweight prevalence is estimated to be at least 15 percent for all children and adolescents, and higher than 30 percent in some population subgroups. Obesity is now the most serious dietary problem affecting the health of American children.

The most extensive data on obesity and overweight prevalence are provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). As part of a comprehensive set of body measurements, this survey records height and weight, and reports results in terms of body mass index (BMI), expressed as weight/height2 (kg/m2). While defining childhood obesity is problematic due to a lack of a standard definition and vocabulary, it is generally accepted that a child whose BMI is above the 95th percentile for his or her gender and age is overweight or obese.

Results from the NHANES survey are reported approximately every five years. Figure 1 shows the trend in overweight prevalence for children and adolescents for selected years from 1963 through 2000. While overweight prevalence was relatively stable from the 1960s through the 1980s, this figure shows a marked increase from the late 1970s to 2000. In fact, overweight prevalence doubled for children aged 6–11 years and tripled for adolescents aged 12–19 years. A further disturbing trend is that the distribution curve of children’s weight has become skewed to the right over time, indicating that children who are already overweight are getting fatter.

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