Keeping kids healthy.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

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During the past 40 years, the obesity rate for children ages 6 to 11 has more than quadrupled (from 4.2 percent to 17 percent). And for adolescents ages 12 to 19, it has more than tripled (from 4.6 percent to 17.6 percent). Obese refers to children and adolescents who have a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their gender and age. Almost 12 million children and adolescents are obese, and more than 23 million young people are obese or overweight--nearly one in three. They are at increased risk for asthma, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other...