The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study 2008: opportunities to assess parental, cultural, and environmental influences on dietary behaviors and obesity prevention among young children.

摘要

In 2007-2008, the prevalence of obesity was 10% among 2- to 5-year-old US children (1). Even in early childhood, significant racial/ethnic differences were apparent. Approximately 9% of non-Hispanic white, 11% non- Hispanic black, and 14% of Hispanic 2- to 5-year-old children were obese. Sex differences within racial/ethnic groups were also present. Obesity was least prevalent among non-Hispanic white (7%) and most prevalent among 2- to 5-year-old Hispanic boys (18%), whereas only modest differences were observed among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic 2- to 5-year-old girls (1). An elevated body mass index early in life is positively associated with adult adiposity (2). Although the causes of obesity are complex and multifaceted, at the most basic level, obesity is the result of an imbalance in energy intake and energy expenditure. Energy intake, specifically food consumption, is perhaps the most widely studied contributor to obesity.