Dramatic Rise in Obesity Among 2 to 5 Year Olds

Despite all of the academic, scientific, and social attention given to the obesity epidemic and it’s possible causes, it doesn’t seem to be helping.

Overall trends of increasing rates of overweight and obesity in American youth ages 2 to 19 have not tapered off. While rates in various subsets may decrease at times over the period from 1999 until 2015, the overall trend continues to be up, meaning American youth is becoming more obese and more overweight.

One very disturbing statistic from the study recently published study in the journal Pediatrics: 13.7% of 2 to 5 year old had Class I obesity, a jump of over 150% from 4 years prior (8.3%). Despite the efforts of parents, doctors, lawmakers, manufacturers, and all of the other groups involved in trying to combat this growing epidemic, preschool aged children are becoming more obese.

The most worrisome part of this statistic is in its implications for the future. Studies confirm that being overweight or obese in our youth increases the risk being overweight or obese as adults. Being overweight or obese as an adult puts you at higher risk of several health conditions: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, hypertension, and more.

While the causes of overweight and obesity are multifaceted, so are the solutions. No one solution will work for every person. For some, diet and exercise do the trick. For others, medications help. Mental health treatment and counseling are needed for some. And for a growing number of people, bariatric surgery (including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band surgery) is the solution.

If you are obese (BMI over 30) or overweight with complicating health comorbidities (such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea) you may be a candidate for gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or lap band surgery. For more information or to schedule a free informational session, visit www.drshillingford.com or call Dr. Shillingford’s office at (561) 483-8840. Dr. Shillingford, MD is a board certified surgeon specializing in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery,. His office is in Boca Raton, Florida but his weight loss surgery patients come from near and far, including Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Naples, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and New York.