Did You Know?

• Nationally, among children ages 2-5, the prevalence of overweight has increased from 7% to more than 10% since 1994.1 In 2004 in North Carolina, one in seven 2-4 year olds were overweight. 2

• One quarter of U.S. children spend 4 hours or more watching television daily.3 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of quality TV and videos a day for older children and no screen time for children under the age of two.4

• About one third of overweight preschool children and about one half of overweight school age children remain overweight in their adult years.5

• One study showed about 18% of meals for children ages 2-5 are eaten outside the home, with 42% of these meals coming from fast food restaurants.6

• For the first time in more than 100 years, our children’s life expectancy is declining due to the increase in overweight.7

References:

1. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2004, 291:2847-50.
2. North Carolina Nutrition and Physical Activity Surveillance System (NC-NPASS), NC Division of Public Health. Available at http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com.
3. Physical Activity Fact Sheet, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.fitness.gov/resources_factsheet.htm.
4. Media Guideline for Parents, American Academy of Pediatrics. Available at http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/mediause.cfm.
5. Serdula, M.K., Ivery, D., Coates, R.J., Freedman, D.S., Williamson, D. F., & Byers, T.  (1993). Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Preventive Medicine, 22(2): 167-177.
6. Lin, B., Guthrie, J. & Blaylock, J. (1996). The diets of American children: Influences of dining out, household characteristics, and nutrition knowledge. USDA Economic Research Services. Available online August 8, 2005 from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer746.
7. Olshanksy S, Passaro D, Hershow R, Layden J, Carnes B, Brody J, et al (2005). A potential decline in life expectancy in the United States in the 21st century. New England Journal of Medicine, 352: 1138-1145.