Downtrends in children’s health
Rising obesity rates and a large percentage of low-birth-weight children are dragging down the overall health of American children in their first decade of life, according to a report tracking the health and well-being of young children in the United States.
Though U.S. children overall have seen improvements in their well-being in recent years, children ages 6 to 11 are four times more likely to be obese than their counterparts in the 1960s, the report found. The study, led by researchers at Duke University and the Foundation for Child Development, also found that the percentage of babies born with low weight rose 12.3% from 1994 to 2005, a trend they said was probably tied to delayed childbearing among working mothers and increased use of fertility drugs.
Low birth weight has been linked in large studies to a higher risk of developmental and learning problems.
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