Hawaii’s low-income preschoolers have the lowest obesity rate among the states in a new government report that offers the first evidence of a national decline in childhood obesity.
"I think that is great news," said Dr. May Okihiro, director of the Hawaii Initiative for Childhood Obesity Research and Education, which is based at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.
"I think some of the changes that are being made on the policy level and the health promotion efforts that are taking place, from pediatric providers all the way to schools, are having an impact."
The report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control documented declines in obesity among poor youngsters in 18 states, while 19 states had no significant change and three saw their obesity rates rise from 2008 and 2011. Ten states were not included in the study.
"Now, for the first time, we’re seeing a significant decrease in childhood obesity" nationally, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director. Previous national statistics had shown obesity rates rising for decades before leveling off recently.
Overall, 12 percent of low-income preschoolers in the United States were obese in 2011. Hawaii’s youngsters weighed in best at 9 percent obese, while California, at 17 percent, had the highest rate among the 40 states in the report.
Despite its No. 1 ranking, Hawaii’s rate did not change significantly over the three-year period, and it still has much work to do to bring it down, Okihiro said.
"Thirty or 40 years ago, about 5 percent or less of our children were obese," Okihiro said. "The fact that it’s plateaued at 9 percent means it’s still high. And the fact that such young children are being affected means that we are still at high risk."
The state’s position relative to other states is due in part to its ethnic makeup, with Asians tending to have a lower prevalence of being overweight and obese, and Native Hawaiians and other Polynesians having higher rates from preschool age on, Okihiro said.
Preschoolers who are overweight or obese are five times more likely than other children to be heavy as adults, which means greater risks of high cholesterol, high blood sugar, asthma and even mental health problems.
The national study was based on measurements of the height and weight of nearly 12 million low-income children in 40 states. The kids were ages 2, 3 and 4. Most were enrolled in the federal Women, Infants and Children program, which provides food vouchers and other services.
Experts note that low-income kids tend to be more at risk of obesity.
The last CDC study to look at preschooler obesity in this way found very different results. From 2003 to 2008 significant declines were seen in only nine states, and increases were seen in 24 states.
CDC officials said a change in WIC policies probably played a major role. The changes — instituted in 2009 — eliminated juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat and made it easier to buy fruits and vegetables. Breast-feeding rates have been increasing, and kids raised on mother’s milk tend to have lower obesity rates, experts said.
"Chronic disease risk begins from very early on in childhood — from infancy, really — so healthy lifestyles need to begin very early," Okihiro said. "We promote the consumption of water and lowfat milk and not juice and sweetened beverages from early on. We want to promote physical activity and movement and encourage people to eat less processed foods and more wholesome food from an early age."
"Some people think every kid will grow out of their baby fat," she added, "but we know that obese kids are much more likely to become obese teenagers and obese adults."
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The Associated Press and the Star-Advertiser contributed to this article.
» Online CDC report: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns
