Overweight (body mass index [BMI], >=85th but <95th percentile for age and sex) and obese (BMI >95th percentile) (3) children have an increased risk for developing numerous health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes (2). The most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data show that between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008, the prevalence of overweight (6.5% to 35.5%) and obesity (6.5% to 19.6%) increased in children aged 6 to 11 years (4,5). These prevalence figures are much greater than the target prevalence of 5% set in Healthy People 2010 (10). Minority children are at even greater risk for overweight and obesity. The NHANES 2007-2008 data indicated that 24.7% of Mexican American children aged 6 to 11 years are obese, and nearly 41.7% are overweight (6).
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