"Energy Gap" Contributes to Adolescent Obesity

What researchers found: Overall, American children and adolescents consumed an average of 110 to 165 calories per day more than they required for normal growth and activity. Over 10 years, they gained an average excess of 10 pounds beyond the weight gain consistent with normal growth. Overweight adolescents consumed approximately 700 to 1,000 calories per day more than required for normal growth and activity. This energy gap resulted in an extra 58 pounds over 10 years for overweight adolescents.

Why we chose this publication: The prevalence of childhood obesity is alarming because of its associated health, behavioral and social consequences. Apart from the health effects, obesity also poses a tremendous financial burden. Findings from this article estimate that the energy gap responsible for the obesity epidemic in children is larger than previously thought.

What researchers studied: Researchers examined height and weight data for children in the 1988-1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and projected what their weight and height gains would be 10 years later based on normal growth patterns. They compared their results to actual height and weight data from children in the 1999-2002 NHANES.

Publication:
Estimating the Energy Gap among US Children: A Counterfactual Approach
Wang YC, Gortmaker SL, Sobol AM and Kuntz KM
Pediatrics, 118(6): 1721-1733, December 2006