Severe Childhood Obesity Triples

Obese children are at risk for diabetes and heart disease, according to a report. Children are not only becoming obese, but becoming severely obese, which impacts their overall health says Joseph Skelton, M.D., lead author and director of the Brenner FIT (Families in Training) Program. “These findings reinforce the fact that medically-based programs to treat obesity are needed throughout the United States and insurance companies should be encouraged to cover this care.” Severe childhood obesity is a new classification for children and describes those with a body mass index (BMI) that is equal to or greater than the 99th percentile for age and gender. For example, a 10-year-old child with a BMI of 24 would be considered severely obese, Skelton said, whereas in an adult, that is considered a normal BMI. They found that the prevalence of severe obesity tripled (from 0.8% to 3.8%) in the period from 1976-80 to 1999-2004. Based on the data, there are 2.7 million children in the U.S. who are considered severely obese. Academic Pediatrics Sept, 2009