IOM Report Assesses Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity

September 13, 2006

A third of all children and adolescents in the United States are either obese or at risk for becoming obese. Between 1963 and 2004, obesity rates quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11, and tripled for adolescents ages 12 to 19.

A new Foundation-supported report from the Institute of Medicine— Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?—finds that the nation is just starting to appreciate the seriousness of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, the report suggests that we are not applying enough resources to this critical health problem. Additionally, we need effective means for evaluating existing programs to address the issue and better ways to monitor progress.