Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — A new report on childhood obesity finds Iowa’s numbers aren’t budging, with more than 50-thousand kids statewide falling into the category. Victoria Brown, senior program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says the report looked at children between the ages of 10 and 17 over the past two years.
That’s about one in seven children. Nationwide, the report found four-point-eight million children in that age range are obese, a number that’s also remained essentially unchanged since the last report.
While it’s discouraging the state and national numbers haven’t fallen from year to year, Brown says it’s also important to note they’re not rising either.
She says it’s also important to maintain access to SNAP or food stamp programs, that we continue to build “walkable” communities, and address things like “food deserts” or urban areas where it’s hard to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. The report found Mississippi has the highest childhood obesity rate at 25-point-4 percent, while Utah has the lowest rate at 8-point-7 percent.
Click here for more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
