In the United States, approximately what percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 19 years are estimated to be overweight or obese? | |||
A. | 15%. | ||
| B. | 25%. | |
| C. | 35%. | |
D. | 45% It has been estimated that at the turn of the 21st century, approximately 15% of U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 19 years (11 million children) were overweight or obese, a prevalence that is unlikely to decline in the near future and that is triple the prevalence among children of the same age in the 1960s. Obesity in children who do not have diabetes is associated with an increased rate of death from endogenous causes during early adulthood, an association that may be partially mediated by the development of glucose intolerance and hypertension in childhood. In contrast, the cholesterol level in childhood is not a major determinant of premature death in this population. Childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent around the globe. Failure to reverse this trend may have wide-reaching consequences for the quality of life and longevity. Such evidence underscores the importance of preventing obesity starting in the early years of life. Answer: A | ||
