July 24, 2009

Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children in the United States, 1998-2008

To estimate obesity prevalence, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined records from the CDC Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). PedNSS is the only source of nationally-compiled obesity surveillance data obtained at the state and local level for low-income, preschool-aged children participating in federally funded health and nutrition programs. They found that between 1998 and 2008, the prevalence of low-income preschoolers considered obese increased from 12.4% in 1998 to 14.5% in 2003. However, the researchers said because the 2008 rate is 14.6% the prevalence of obesity among preschoolers seems to be slowing.