Child Care

The steady increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in young children over the past decade has created a public health crisis. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2009–10 found that 26.7 percent of 2 to 5 year olds were either overweight or obese. Compared to children with healthy weights, children who are overweight or obese at 3 to 5 years of age are five times more likely to be overweight or obese in adolescence and are at greater risk of chronic health problems later in life. Interventions to address the obesity epidemic can reach the majority of young children if they are delivered through child care programs, where over 60 percent of preschool-age children in the United States (U.S.) spend an ...