A new study on childhood obesity confirmed previous findings that childhood obesity is declining - good news in the fight against diabetes.
The study, by researchers at Temple University, showed a 4 percent decline in childhood obesity among mostly low-income blacks and Hispanics, the highest- risk groups. The findings confirmed other recent studies that suggested that rates of overweight and obese children have leveled off after steady increases since the 1980s.
The findings were particularly promising because they were least expected among a national sample of primarily low-income black and Hispanic youngsters. Minorities are at a higher risk of obesity because they disproportionately live in poor households, eat diets high in fat and calories, and have less-educated parents.
