This week, I’m sharing the CDC’s 5 Winnable Battles as set forth by the new head of the CDC), Dr. Frieden.  During the next 3 years,  CDC will be increasingly  focusing its strategic planning on public health and policy interventions to help win the 5 “Winnable Battles”.  There’s not much on the CDC’s website yet on the new strategy, but moving forward you’re sure to hear about them.  Today, a look at the second winnable battle:

2.     Childhood Overweight and Obesity

Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. Results from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that (nationally) an 17% of children ages 2-19 years are obese. Among pre-school age children 2-5 years of age, obesity increased from 5 to 10.4% between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 and from 6.5 to 19.6% among 6-11 year olds.  Among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5 to 18.1% during the same period.

Obese children and adolescents are at risk for health problems during their youth and as adults. For example, during their youth, obese children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes) than are other children and adolescents.  For more info on how we’re working to do something about the problem in Arizona, you can visit our http://www.azwic.gov/ and Physical Activity Program