Fewer fat kids?

Awhile back, when someone was complaining about fat kids, I remember someone showed a study that said kids were still getting fatter, but that the obesity rate in the children raised in upper income family was down.

Now the NYTimes links to a study saying that obesity in lower class kids is falling too.
the question is why:

Tuesday’s report covered the period from 2008 to 2011 and offered what researchers said was the clearest evidence to date that the obesity epidemic may be turning a corner for 2- to 4-year-old children from low-income families. Children from poor families have had some of the highest rates of obesity, which have remained elevated even as rates among more affluent children in some cities have started to drop.

One in eight preschoolers in the United States is obese. Among low-income children it is one in seven.

The cause of the decline remains a mystery, but researchers offered various theories, like an increase in breastfeeding and a drop in calories from sugary drinks. In interviews, parents suggested that they have become more educated in recent years, and so are more aware of the health issues associated with being overweight.

so Michelle's preaching has worked?

the rest of the article says yes, but one naysayer points out that obesity is in the genes, and another points out that the decline is minimal.

but why only in the last few months? I am not in the US, so can't answer. But I know that despite many many educational programs by the IHS hospital and tribe, we couldn't put a dent into the obesity problem on the reservations.

Anyone check if there is a change in the way they manufacture plastic bottles? Some plastics make the metabolic syndrome gene kick in....

Full CDC report here.

and includes these points that might have changed the data:
First, PedNSS is limited to low-income children who participated in federal nutrition programs. These findings might not reflect the obesity prevalence and trends among all low-income U.S. preschool-aged children. In addition, the results might not be reflective of preschool-aged children of higher socioeconomic status who might have experienced more substantial declines in obesity prevalence (12). Second, this study included 43 states/territories that consistently collected PedNSS data during 2008–2011. Trends in other states/territories might differ. Finally, compared with 2008, the number of children in PedNSS was higher in subsequent years (approximately 2.7 million in 2008, 3.0 million in 2009, 3.0 million in 2010, and 2.9 million in 2011). This might have been caused, in part, by the economic downturn, which might have led to previously ineligible families becoming eligible for these nutrition programs.

In other words, the increasesd numbers might have added children from families with healthier genes, or whose nutritional habits were better to begin with and changed the numbers.

And some families might have less money so didn't spend as much on snacks.






there is also an article about surgery overseas. Manila is trying to get into this bonanza. I link but don't quote, since the NYTimes limits me to ten articles a month...

for elective surgery, this makes sense. And Manila has a low HIV rate, although there is always the risk of earthquakes, floods, robbery, and dengue fever (joking....aside from getting things snatched the other things are rare...and considering the number of ex pats and visitors, the number of tourists killed are few).