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Kids nowadays are less active (less physical education time in schools, less active play), engaged in more “screen time” (watching TV, playing video games, using computers), and eating larger portions and more fast food than in years past.
As a result, we are seeing a rise in the number of overweight children. For example, 15% of children and teenagers were overweight in 2000, as opposed to only 5% in the 1960s. A recent study of 5th, 7th, and 9th graders in California echoed this trend: in Fremont, 22% of school-aged kids were overweight, in Hayward, almost 35%. (To see rates in other California cities and districts, visit the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.)
In light of this significant concern, Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with UCSF and UCLA, recently published a special supplement in the New York Times (January 15, 2006) about Childhood Obesity. Download the supplement to understand more about obesity and find out what we are doing at Kaiser Permanente to help keep your children healthy.
Does My Child Have a Healthy Weight?
One tool that your child’s medical provider uses to determine whether our not he or she has a healthy weight is called the Body Mass Index (BMI). Visit either one of the following sites to learn more about the BMI and how to calculate it for your child:
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