May 18, 2008
Is Your Child Obese?
by Stacey Schifferdecker
Childhood obesity is becoming ever more a problem not only in the United States but also in Europe and other developed countries as well. In the United States, experts estimate between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese, which means their weight is at least 10 percent higher than what is recommended for the height and body type. The statistics are just as alarming in other countries:
- From 1985 to 1995, the number of overweight and obese children in Australia more than doubled.
- Ten percent of six year olds in England are obese. If the current trend continues, half the children in England will be obese by 2020.
- 22 million of the 75 million children in the European Union are overweight. 5.1 million of these overweight children are obese.
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