ABSTRACT
Obesity among children and adolescents has become a major societal concern around the world. Estimates have indicated that 110 million children are overweight worldwide (Caprio et al., 2008; World Health Organization, 2009). In the United States, the prevalence of obesity among all age groups has increased (Wang & Beydoun, 2007), tripling among children (ages 6–11) and adolescents (ages 12–17) since 1980 (Ogden et al., 2006). The most recent national data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that in 2006, 31.9% of youth ages 2–19 were overweight or obese. As shown in Table 15.1, obesity rates also differ significantly by gender and ethnicity (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008).
