Obesity prevalence decreased modestly for children in WIC

(HealthDay)—During 2010 to 2016, there were modest decreases in obesity prevalence among children aged 2 to 4 years enrolled in 73 percent of 56 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) state or territory agencies, according to research published in the Nov. 22 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Liping Pan, M.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used data from the WIC Participant and Program Characteristics to update state-specific trends in obesity among young children enrolled in WIC through 2016.

The researchers found modest but statistically significant decreases in obesity prevalence among children aged 2 to 4 years enrolled in WIC in 73 percent of 56 WIC state or territory agencies during 2010 to 2016. The adjusted obesity prevalence rates decreased by more than 3 percentage points in seven WIC state or territory agencies; the largest significant decrease was seen in Puerto Rio (8.2 percentage points). Across all years, only three WIC state agencies reported significant increases in obesity prevalence.

"Despite these recent decreases in obesity among children enrolled in WIC, obesity prevalence remained high in most states in 2016," the authors write. "Multiple approaches are needed to address and eliminate childhood obesity."

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