health bits
children and heart disease
14
Heart disease. Hypertension. Type 2 diabetes. Liver dysfunction. Adult diseases only, right? Wrong. These terms are becoming common in the vocabulary used to diagnose overweight and obese children. Childhood obesity has become a national epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 16 percent of all teens and children in the United States are overweight today. Moreover, according to the American Heart Association, today’s figures represent a doubling for children and nearly a tripling for teens compared to 1980s figures. Closer to home, Missouri is ranked in the top 20 worst states for adult obesity, teen obesity and childhood obesity. Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child’s weight.
State Stats State data show that 23 percent of Missouri children ages 5 to 11 are overweight, and the percentage is increasing steadily. When those at risk for overweight are added to those already overweight, more than 40 percent of Missouri children are involved. Source: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Dietary Intake and Physical Activity Report. The Missouri School-aged Children Health Services Program School Year 2003-2004.
Eleven percent of Kansas adolescents in grades six to 12 are overweight while 13.6 percent of adolescents in the same grades are at risk of overweight. Source: 2002-2003 supplemental questions on Kansas Youth Tobacco Survey.
© istockphoto.com / ShyMan
enhance magazine
Local Resource Learn about how to help improve and prevent the situation: www. kchealthykids.org