Released August 31, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. – September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and Americans are encouraged to step up and take responsibility for a healthier future.
Deana Hildebrand, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist, said childhood obesity in the United States is a public health concern due to its implications on the immediate as well as the long-term health status of children.
“The nation has the highest levels of childhood obesity compared to all other countries in the world,” Hildebrand said. “Approximately 16.3 percent of children and adolescents are obese and 32 percent are either overweight or obese.”
The reality is overweight and obesity result from a complex interaction between personal, family, environmental, genetic and cultural factors.
--continued on Oklahoma State University Extension news
--30--
