| Between 1980 and 2004, the prevalence of obesity for U.S. children ages 6-11 more than doubled, from 6.5 to 17.7 percent. It more than tripled for children ages 12-19, standing at 16.9 percent in 2008. Although the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased for all American children, it has not increased equally for all children. There are several socioeconomic disparities in obesity prevalence as well as evidence that the increase has been greatest for racial minorities. Reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity is a major goal of public health policy and, with the new task force led by First Lady Michelle Obama, the federal government. Although the policy recommendations of the task force and other research assume that socioeconomic disparities in childhood obesity reflect disparities in food and "built" environments, the evidence that socioeconomic determinants play a causal role in obesity is weak. |
