Big Cities Reporting Declines in Childhood Obesity Rates

New York, Los Angeles among cities with drop in rate of overweight kids

The decades-long era of the chubby kid is ending, according to individual reports by health commissioners in cities large and small. New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia are among the cities reporting their first declines in the childhood obesity rate, the New York Times reports. The drops aren’t plus-sized; 5 percent in Philly and 3 percent in Los Angeles. But experts say the decreases are a promising sign that one of the nation’s most pressing health problems might actually be reversing course. The first decreases were reported in a September report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but researchers found them too good to be true. New encouraging reports, however, have researchers searching for the causes for the declines. (NY Times)

[ALSO READ: Female Celebs Fight Black Obesity]

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]