CDC: Childhood obesity rates tripled in the last 30 years

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- For years, experts have warned that childhood obesity rates are climbing. Now, there’s reason to think that we may be starting the New Year in a new direction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years.

Obesity is associated with cardio-vascular risk factors and is likely to continue into adulthood. Doctors at the CDC studied data on more than 26-million children ages two to four from low-income families in 30 states.

In a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, they report that obesity went down from 15.2 percent in 2003 to 14.9 percent in 2010. Extreme obesity decreased from 2.2 percent to 2.1 percent in 2010.

The authors believe their study is the first to indicate that obesity and extreme obesity in U.S. children may be declining.