Facts about kids and weight

• Each added 8-ounce daily serving of a soft drink that a child consumes increases their chance of being obese by 60 percent.¹
• Obese children are five-and-a-half times more likely to have a poorer quality of life than their non-obese counterparts.²
• Milk consumption dropped 39% from 1977 to 2001 for children ages 6 to 11. But soda consumption increased by 137%, fruit juice by 54% and fruit drinks by 69%.³
• $10 billon dollars a year is spent advertising foods, beverages, and meals to children and youth. $5 billion was for TV advertising alone.⁴
• Portion sizes have increased: Twenty years ago, two slices of pepperoni pizza had 500 calories. Today, two slices of pepperoni pizza have 850 calories.⁵
• Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food made outside of the home, compared to eating at home.⁶
• One-quarter of children ages 5 to 10 show early warning signs for heart disease.⁷
• Nationally, 83% of elementary schools sell foods and beverages out of vending machines, school stores, or a la carte in the cafeteria.⁸
• For children ages 2 to 3 in the 85th to 95th BMI percentile, regular consumption of as little as one sweetened drink a day doubled their risk of becoming obese (BMI above the 95th percentile) in the following year.⁹
• Preschoolers with active parents are more likely to be active compared to those with sedentary parents.¹⁰
• In one study more than 50% of 3- to 6-year-olds whose BMI was at or above the 95th percentile, became obese adults.¹¹
• The average child spends more than 4½ hours each day watching TV, playing video games or browsing the Internet.¹²
• In a study of preschoolers (ages 1-4), a child's risk of being overweight increased by 6% for every hour of television watched per day.¹³
• Almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese.¹⁴
• Nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to19 eat fast food every day, resulting in approximately six extra pounds per year, per child.¹⁵
• Only 2 percent of U.S. children eat a healthy diet in accordance with the Food Guide Pyramid.¹⁶
• A study of 5 and 6 year olds found children in the United States gain up to three times more weight during the summer holidays than during the school year. ¹⁷

¹ The Lancet, 2001 ² JAMA, 2003 ³ National Food Consumption Survey, 1977-1978 ⁴ Institute of Medicine, 2006 ⁵ National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Obesity Initiative, Portion Distortion II interactive Quiz ⁶ Journal of The American Dietetic Association, 2001 ⁷ Pediatrics, 1999 ⁸ Government Accountability Office (GAO), 2005 ⁹ Pediatrics, 2005 ¹⁰ Journal of Pediatrics, 1991 ¹¹ New England Journal of Medicine, 1997 ¹² The National Institute on Media and the Family ¹³ Pediatrics, 2002 ¹⁴Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2009 ¹⁵ Pediatrics, 2004 ¹⁶ Center for Science and Public Interest ¹⁷ American Journal of Public Health, 2007