紐約 —— 一項(xiàng)最新研究用新的證據(jù)證明,重度肥胖問(wèn)題在美國(guó)兒童當(dāng)中變得更加普遍。
有人希望參加政府食品計(jì)劃的兒童可能逆轉(zhuǎn)肥胖率的趨勢(shì)。早期研究發(fā)現(xiàn),約十年前,這些兒童的肥胖率有小幅下降。但《兒科》期刊周一發(fā)表的一篇最新報(bào)告顯示,到2020年,兒童肥胖率有所反彈。
這與另外一項(xiàng)全國(guó)數(shù)據(jù)遙相呼應(yīng)。數(shù)據(jù)顯示,同期約2.5%的學(xué)齡前兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖。
報(bào)告的作者之一、美國(guó)疾病預(yù)防控制中心(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)的海蒂·布蘭科表示:“我們?cè)?jīng)有所改善,但現(xiàn)在我們看到了這種上升趨勢(shì)。這些調(diào)查結(jié)果令人沮喪?!?/p>
這項(xiàng)研究調(diào)查了參加?jì)D嬰兒童(Women, Infants and Children)計(jì)劃的2至4歲兒童。該計(jì)劃為低收入家庭的學(xué)齡前兒童提供健康食物和其他服務(wù)。研究人員測(cè)量了這些兒童的體重和身高。
他們發(fā)現(xiàn),在2010年,有2.1%參與該計(jì)劃的兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖。六年后,這個(gè)比例下降至1.8%。但到2020年,它又反彈到2%。這意味著在160多萬(wàn)參與婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童中,有33,000人嚴(yán)重肥胖。
有20個(gè)州的增長(zhǎng)幅度明顯,其中加州的比例最高,達(dá)到2.8%。一些種族和民族群體的兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖比例也有顯著提高。比例最高的是拉丁裔兒童,達(dá)到約2.8%。
專家稱,過(guò)早出現(xiàn)過(guò)度肥胖幾乎是不可逆轉(zhuǎn)的,而且與慢性健康問(wèn)題和早亡之間存在密切聯(lián)系。
布蘭科表示,兒童肥胖率提高的原因尚不明確。
在婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童肥胖率下降時(shí),有專家將其歸功于2009年的政策變化,取消了嬰兒食品中的果汁,減少了飽和脂肪,并試圖讓購(gòu)買水果蔬菜變得更容易。
這種餐食搭配一直沒(méi)有變化。但杜克大學(xué)(Duke University)兒童肥胖研究人員薩拉·阿姆斯特朗博士表示:“貧困家庭的處境可能比十年前更加艱難,而婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的餐食少量增加,并不足以解決問(wèn)題?!?/p>
研究人員面臨挑戰(zhàn)。過(guò)去十年,參與婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童數(shù)量減少。研究期限包括新冠疫情爆發(fā)的2020年。疫情爆發(fā)后,很少有家長(zhǎng)會(huì)帶孩子去看醫(yī)生。這減少了可用完整信息的數(shù)量。
德克薩斯大學(xué)休斯頓公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院(UTHealth Houston School of Public Health)兒童肥胖研究人員狄安娜·霍爾舍表示,雖然這項(xiàng)研究存在局限性,但卻是一項(xiàng)“很好的研究。它為我們了解真實(shí)情況提供了線索?!?/p>
2020年以后的情況目前仍不得而知。一些小規(guī)模研究顯示,兒童肥胖顯著增加。尤其是在疫情期間,孩子們居家學(xué)習(xí),吃飯睡覺(jué)的規(guī)律被打亂,而且體育運(yùn)動(dòng)減少。
霍爾舍表示:“我們認(rèn)為情況會(huì)變得更加糟糕?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
美聯(lián)社健康與科學(xué)部得到了霍華德休斯醫(yī)學(xué)研究所(Howard Hughes Medical Institute)科學(xué)教育部的支持。美聯(lián)社對(duì)所有內(nèi)容全權(quán)負(fù)責(zé)。
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
紐約 —— 一項(xiàng)最新研究用新的證據(jù)證明,重度肥胖問(wèn)題在美國(guó)兒童當(dāng)中變得更加普遍。
有人希望參加政府食品計(jì)劃的兒童可能逆轉(zhuǎn)肥胖率的趨勢(shì)。早期研究發(fā)現(xiàn),約十年前,這些兒童的肥胖率有小幅下降。但《兒科》期刊周一發(fā)表的一篇最新報(bào)告顯示,到2020年,兒童肥胖率有所反彈。
這與另外一項(xiàng)全國(guó)數(shù)據(jù)遙相呼應(yīng)。數(shù)據(jù)顯示,同期約2.5%的學(xué)齡前兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖。
報(bào)告的作者之一、美國(guó)疾病預(yù)防控制中心(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)的海蒂·布蘭科表示:“我們?cè)?jīng)有所改善,但現(xiàn)在我們看到了這種上升趨勢(shì)。這些調(diào)查結(jié)果令人沮喪?!?/p>
這項(xiàng)研究調(diào)查了參加?jì)D嬰兒童(Women, Infants and Children)計(jì)劃的2至4歲兒童。該計(jì)劃為低收入家庭的學(xué)齡前兒童提供健康食物和其他服務(wù)。研究人員測(cè)量了這些兒童的體重和身高。
他們發(fā)現(xiàn),在2010年,有2.1%參與該計(jì)劃的兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖。六年后,這個(gè)比例下降至1.8%。但到2020年,它又反彈到2%。這意味著在160多萬(wàn)參與婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童中,有33,000人嚴(yán)重肥胖。
有20個(gè)州的增長(zhǎng)幅度明顯,其中加州的比例最高,達(dá)到2.8%。一些種族和民族群體的兒童嚴(yán)重肥胖比例也有顯著提高。比例最高的是拉丁裔兒童,達(dá)到約2.8%。
專家稱,過(guò)早出現(xiàn)過(guò)度肥胖幾乎是不可逆轉(zhuǎn)的,而且與慢性健康問(wèn)題和早亡之間存在密切聯(lián)系。
布蘭科表示,兒童肥胖率提高的原因尚不明確。
在婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童肥胖率下降時(shí),有專家將其歸功于2009年的政策變化,取消了嬰兒食品中的果汁,減少了飽和脂肪,并試圖讓購(gòu)買水果蔬菜變得更容易。
這種餐食搭配一直沒(méi)有變化。但杜克大學(xué)(Duke University)兒童肥胖研究人員薩拉·阿姆斯特朗博士表示:“貧困家庭的處境可能比十年前更加艱難,而婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的餐食少量增加,并不足以解決問(wèn)題?!?/p>
研究人員面臨挑戰(zhàn)。過(guò)去十年,參與婦嬰兒童計(jì)劃的兒童數(shù)量減少。研究期限包括新冠疫情爆發(fā)的2020年。疫情爆發(fā)后,很少有家長(zhǎng)會(huì)帶孩子去看醫(yī)生。這減少了可用完整信息的數(shù)量。
德克薩斯大學(xué)休斯頓公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院(UTHealth Houston School of Public Health)兒童肥胖研究人員狄安娜·霍爾舍表示,雖然這項(xiàng)研究存在局限性,但卻是一項(xiàng)“很好的研究。它為我們了解真實(shí)情況提供了線索?!?/p>
2020年以后的情況目前仍不得而知。一些小規(guī)模研究顯示,兒童肥胖顯著增加。尤其是在疫情期間,孩子們居家學(xué)習(xí),吃飯睡覺(jué)的規(guī)律被打亂,而且體育運(yùn)動(dòng)減少。
霍爾舍表示:“我們認(rèn)為情況會(huì)變得更加糟糕?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
美聯(lián)社健康與科學(xué)部得到了霍華德休斯醫(yī)學(xué)研究所(Howard Hughes Medical Institute)科學(xué)教育部的支持。美聯(lián)社對(duì)所有內(nèi)容全權(quán)負(fù)責(zé)。
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
NEW YORK—A new study adds to evidence that severe obesity is becoming more common in young U.S. children.
There was some hope that children in a government food program might be bucking a trend in obesity rates—earlier research found rates were dropping a little about a decade ago for those kids. But an update released Monday in the journal Pediatrics shows the rate bounced back up a bit by 2020.
The increase echoes other national data, which suggests around 2.5% of all preschool-aged children were severely obese during the same period.
“We were doing well and now we see this upward trend,” said one of the study’s authors, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We are dismayed at seeing these findings.”
The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides healthy foods and other services to preschool-aged children in low-income families. The children were weighed and measured.
The researchers found that 2.1% of kids in the program were severely obese in 2010. Six years later, the rate had dipped to 1.8%. But by 2020, it was 2%. That translates to about 33,000 of more than 1.6 million kids in the WIC program.
Significant increases were seen in 20 states with the highest rate in California at 2.8%. There also were notable rises in some racial and ethnic groups. The highest rate, about 2.8%, was in Hispanic kids.
Experts say severe obesity at a very early age is nearly irreversible, and is strongly associated with chronic health problems and an early death.
It’s not clear why the increase occurred, Blanck said.
When WIC obesity rates dropped, some experts attributed it to 2009 policy changes that eliminated juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat, and tried to make it easier to buy fruits and vegetables.
The package hasn’t changed. But “the daily hardships that families living in poverty are facing may be harder today than they were 10 years ago, and the slight increases in the WIC package just weren’t enough,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity researcher.
The researchers faced challenges. The number of kids in WIC declined in the past decade. And the study period included 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when fewer parents brought their children in to see doctors. That reduced the amount of complete information available.
Despite it’s limitations, it was a “very well done study,” said Deanna Hoelscher, a childhood obesity researcher at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, “It gives you a hint of what’s going on.”
What’s happened since 2020 is not yet known. Some small studies have suggested a marked increase in childhood obesity — especially during the pandemic, when kids were kept home from schools, eating and bedtime routines were disrupted and physical activity decreased.
“We are thinking it’s going to get worse,” Hoelscher said.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.