fast facts

fast facts

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.

The percentage of children age 6 to 11 in the United States who were obese increased from 7 percent in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2008.

The percentage of adolescents age 12 to 19 who were obese increased from 5 percent to 18 percent over the same period.

In 2008, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”— too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed — and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention