OVERALL NUMBERS FLAT, THOUGH – New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released this week reveals a stunning 43 percent decline in early childhood obesity (i.e. obesity among children ages 2-5).
In 2003-04, 14 percent of children were classified as obese. By 2011-12, that number had dropped to 8 percent. The broader childhood population – ages 2-19 – showed no statistical changes in obesity, but the results do offer some hope for the future.