PREVIEW

'Time' reports that a new study has added to the evidence that severe obesity is becoming more common in young children in the United States. National data suggests that approximately 2.5% of all preschool-aged children are , severely obese. About a decade ago, those numbers seemed to be dropping. The latest update released in the journal, 'Pediatrics,' warns the rate has been rising again. "We were doing well and now we see this upward trend. We are dismayed at seeing these findings.", Heidi Blanck, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via 'Time'. The study, which looked at children between the ages of two and four, was involved with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. In 2010, researchers found that 2.1% of the kids in the program were severely obese. By 2016, the rate had dropped to 1.8%. However, by 2020, the rate had started to climb back up to 2%. 'Time' reports that 2% equates to about about 33,000 of over 1.6 million children who take part in the WIC program. According to experts, severe obesity at an early age has been found to be nearly irreversible, and has been linked with both chronic health problems and early death.

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