Decline in Obesity Among Poor Children

Nanny State, of course, rushes in to take credit

A recent study found that obesity rates have declined among two to four year olds in poor families across the United States, a finding which is one of the first hopeful indicators in the fight against the obesity epidemic in low-income communities.

Conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the study shows that the percentage of children between the ages of two and four who were obese fell to 14.9 percent in 2010 from 15.2 percent in 2003. This shift came after rates rapidly increased between 1998 and 2003. The study, published on Wednesday, also found that extreme obesity had declined within the same demographic, falling to 2.07 percent in 2010 from 2.22 percent in 2003. The findings were based on polling data from 30 states and spanned from 1998 to 2010.