The Journal of the American Medical Association recently printed an article stating that as the body mass index of children has gone up since 1988, the blood pressure of children has increased as well. More than 5000 children were included in the study, which determined that between 1988 and 1994, 11.7% of children were overweight, while in 1999-2000, 16.3% were overweight. Blood pressure went up as well - systolic blood pressure increased by 1.4 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 3.3 mm Hg.
Dr. Jeffrey Cutler, lead researcher for this study, stated that for every 1-2 mm increase in systolic blood pressure, children experience a 10% increase in the risk of developing hypertension in young adulthood.
One factor contributing to the increase in the obesity problem is the increase in soft drink consumption. A study in England published in the British Medical Journal (James et al, "Preventing childhood obesity by reducing consumption of carbonated drinks: cluster randomized controlled trial," April 23, 2004) examined the relationship between soft drink consumption to obesity, as well as the efficacy of programs to curb soft drink consumption.
Researchers followed 644 children from 6 schools for one school year. Half of the classes participated in a "ditch the fizz" program which discouraged the use of regular and diet sodas, as well as teaching the benefits of healthier eating. The other classes served as controls.
At the end of the year, the controls had increased their consumption of soft drinks, and also experienced an increase in the overweight and obesity rate by 7.5%. On the other hand, students who participated in the intervention program reduced both consumption and weight.
This is not the only study that has shown that overweight children can be taught to address their problems through diet and exercise. A study published in the journal Circulation (Woo et al, "Effects of diet and exercise on obesity related vascular dysfunction in children," April 2004; 109:1981-1986) followed 82 overweight children between 9 and 12 years old who were divided into two groups. One followed a diet program and the other followed a diet and exercise program. After the six weeks, both groups had reduced their waist to hip ratios, but the diet and exercise group also showed significant improvement in endothelial function. 22 children continued the diet and exercise program for another year, during which they experienced further improvement in body composition and less thickening in the carotid wall.
The bottom line is that kids can be taught to change their habits, and it is imperative that we work on this issue now. Children are starting to develop diseases formerly associated with middle aged and older people. This is a sociological nightmare and a financial disaster in the making. Parents and schools must be taught techniques for addressing childhood obesity and health issues - these problems are not going to solve themselves!
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