A study by the CDC and USDA shows that obesity rates declined among children ages 2-4 who are enrolled in the so-called Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. Rates are down in 31 states, said the Trust for America’s Health, but the average of 14.5 percent is still too high.
The study, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, said the obesity rate during 2014 was down from 15.9 percent in 2010. Utah had the lowest obesity rate for 2- to 4-year-old WIC participants at 8.2 percent, while Virginia had the highest rate at 20 percent. By comparison, the obesity rate for all U.S. children ages 2-5 was 8.9 percent in roughly the same period.
“Since 2010, statistically significant downward trends in obesity prevalence among WIC young children have been observed overall, in all five racial/ethnic groups, and in 34 of the 56 WIC state agencies, suggesting that prevention initiatives are making progress, potentially by impacting the estimated excess of calories eaten versus energy expended for this vulnerable group,” said the study.
To read the study in the MMWR, click here.
To view graphics by the Trust for America’s Health on the CDC data, click here.