As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases among American children, signs of risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases - previously thought of as adult disorders - are on the rise among youth. Results of research that looked at body weight, fat distribution and physical fitness among 83 high school students in Colorado were presented at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
“We wanted to look at children ages 13 to 18 in this study,” said Teresa A. Sharp, Ph.D., lead researcher. “A number of studies have evaluated the relationship between obesity, fat distribution, and risk of chronic disease in adults, but few studies have examined these issues in children.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 16 percent of children age six to 19 are considered overweight. In this study, the majority of participants were overweight - most had close to 30 percent body fat. Sharp points out that a healthy body fat percent for boys is 19 to 20 percent, and for girls about 23 percent.
Seventy-two percent of the children in the study were Hispanic and 21 percent were Caucasian. The study focused on Hispanic children because as adults they are particularly prone to develop type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.