INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AMONG US LOW-INCOME PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN - THE CENTERS-FOR-DISEASE-CONTROL AND PREVENTION PEDIATRIC NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE, 1983 TO 1995

Objective. To determine whether the prevalence of overweight in presch ool children has increased among the US low-income population. Design. Analysis using weight-for-height percentiles of surveillance data adj usted for age, sex, and race or ethnicity. Setting. Data from 18 state s and the District of Columbia were examined.(a) Subjects. Low-income children <5 years of age who were included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System. Result s. The prevalence of overweight increased from 18.6% in 1983 to 21.6% in 1995 based on the 85th percentile cutoff point for weight-for-heigh t, and from 8.5% to 10.2% for the same period based on the 95th percen tile cutoff point. Analyses by single age, sex, and race or ethnic gro up (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic) all showed i ncreases in the prevalence of overweight, although changes are greates t for older preschool children. Conclusion. Overweight is an increasin g public health problem among preschool children in the US low-income population. Additional research is needed to explore the cause of the trend observed and to find effective strategies for overweight prevent ion beginning in the preschool years.