Decline in childhood obesity in the US

Following recent media reports that in some cities in the US childhood obesity rates have dipped, new research now backs up with claims.

Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at data on 27.5 million children aged two to four from 1998 to 2010. The children were from 30 states, and many were from low-income families eligible for government assistance.

While the rate of obesity rose from around 13 percent in 1998 to more than 15 percent in 2003, it fell to 14.94 percent in 2010 -- a modest decline but enough for researchers to believe that the findings signal a change in direction, especially in that lower income children are an especially high-risk group for obesity.

"We are very encouraged by this data," study researcher Heidi M. Blanck, PhD, told WebMD. "It's pretty exciting and a nice turning of the tide. But we have to stay vigilant or it will go in the other direction."