Issue: The rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight

and obesity among children is one of the most serious

public health concerns in the United States today. Overweight children tend to become overweight adults and

overweight adults are at increased risk for a number of ailments including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke,

and some types of cancer. In addition to increased health

risks, overweight children may suffer from ostracism and

diminished self-esteem. Although most of USDA’s child

nutrition programs were established in response to documented problems of underconsumption and undernutrition

among the low-income population, they now have the

potential to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.

Emerging obesity-related research will help shape the

direction of the child nutrition programs in the future.

Background: An estimated 15 percent of children ages 6-

11 were overweight in 1999-2000, up from only 4 percent

in 1971-74. The incidence of overweight among adolescents age 12-19 has also increased: from 6 percent in

1971-74 to 15 percent in 1999-2000 (fig. 1). Given the

suddenness of the rise in overweight and obesity in the

United States, most researchers attribute it to lifestyle,

diet, and the changing environment in which we live rather

than to genetic conditions, which tend to cause change

much more slowly. 

Due to the difficulty of achieving long-term weight loss,

prevention of obesity is critical. The increase in the prevalence of overweight among children suggests that prevention efforts need to begin at an early age. USDA’s child

nutrition programs are a natural entry point for early intervention because they reach a large number of the Nation’s

infants and children. Almost 50 percent of all infants, and

nearly 25 percent of all children age 1-4, currently participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and on an average

school day, over half of all schoolchildren eat a school

lunch provided by USDA’s National School Lunch Program. Consequently, these programs can have a positive

effect on reducing overweight by providing early intervention in the eating habits of children. 

USDA uses a number of program and policy tools to

improve the nutrient content of meals served in the child

nutrition programs. For example, the National School

Lunch and School Breakfast Programs use the food and

nutrition recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for

Americans, including limiting calories from total fat to 30

percent or less and saturated fat to less than 10 percent, in

setting meal standards. In addition, many schools have

implemented Team Nutrition, a comprehensive program

that emphasizes nutrition education for students and their

parents and promotes healthy eating and physical activity.

In WIC, “at risk of becoming overweight” has been added

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Economic 

Research

Service

Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report Number 34-11 July 2003

WIC School

meals

CACPF General

Figure 1. Prevalence of overweight among U.S. children

and adolescents, ages 6-19 years

Percent

1971-1974 1976-1980 1988-1994 1999-2000

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for

Health Statistics.

0

5

10

15

20

6-11 years old

12-19 years old

4

6

7

5

11 11

15 15

Childhood Obesity and

the Role of USDA

Food Assistance Research Brief

Victor Oliveira, victoro@ers.usda.gov, (202) 694-5434

Jayachandran N. Variyam, jvariyam@ers.usda.gov, (202) 694-5457
2 Economic Research Service / USDA

Childhood Obesity and the Role of USDA / FANRR-34-11

as one of the nutritional risks that qualify low-income

children for certification in the program. Once enrolled,

local WIC agencies may tailor the WIC food packages for

children based on the individual’s nutritional need (e.g.,

may decrease the amounts of food provided to reduce

calories). Nutrition education stressing healthy eating

habits provided in programs such as WIC may also contribute to lowering the prevalence of childhood obesity.

However, more information is needed about the factors

that affect obesity. Through its inhouse and extramural

research programs, the Economic Research Service is

finding answers to some of the difficult questions on

childhood obesity. 

Findings: Research funded by the Economic Research

Service has shown that the presence of an obese parent

greatly increases the risk of overweight in preschoolers

even when no overt signs of overweight in the child are

present. However, childhood obesity experts have stressed

the positive role of parental involvement in treating and

preventing overweight in children. An ERS study has

shown that fewer children are overweight among parents

who correctly perceived themselves as being overweight,

compared with parents who failed to recognize their own

overweight status (fig. 2). This study also found that

greater parental nutrition knowledge and parental use of

nutrition labels are associated with lower prevalence of

overweight children. 

As children grow older, other ERS research suggests displacement of milk by soft drinks is a factor that contributes to children being overweight. On average, for each

1-ounce reduction in milk consumption, a child consumes

4.2 ounces of soft drinks, resulting in a net gain of 31

calories and a loss of about 34 milligrams (mg) of calcium. Another ERS-funded study is examining the relationship between food insecurity and other factors and overweight among 8- to 16-year-old African American girls,

among the most vulnerable groups for obesity. A previous

ERS-funded study found that African American girls who

lived in households that experienced food insecurity were

nearly two-and-a-half times as likely to be overweight as

those not experiencing food insecurity. 

Summary: It is essential that we improve our understanding of the factors that affect obesity. Through its extramural research programs, ERS is funding a number of studies

related to the determinants of childhood obesity, including:

eating patterns associated with obesity in children; identification of the school, family, parent, and child predictors

of persistent childhood obesity; parenting practices and

obesity in low-income African American preschoolers; diet

patterns, nutrients, and development of adolescent obesity;

and the role of food insufficiency and food assistance 

participation in obesity. ERS is also evaluating a pilot

project to promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption

among the Nation’s schoolchildren in an effort to combat

the growing problem of overweight and obesity among

schoolchildren. The insights obtained from these analyses

will be useful in the development of educational programs

and intervention strategies aimed at reducing the incidence

of obesity. More detailed information about these research

projects is available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/

foodnutritionassistance/projects.

Information Sources:

Variyam, J.N. “Overweight Children: Is Parental Nutrition Knowledge a

Factor?” FoodReview 24(2), May-August 2001.

Whitaker, R.C., B. Chen, and L.A. Chamberlin. “Maternal Obesity at

Conception Predicts Obesity in Low-Income Preschool Children.” Presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity,

Quebec City, Canada, October 8, 2001. 

Yen, S.T., and B.H. Lin. “Beverage Consumption Among US Children

and Adolescents: Full-Information and Quasi Maximum-Likelihood

Estimation of a Censored System.” European Review of Agricultural

Economics 29(1) 2002:85-103.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Figure 2. Children of parents who underestimate their

own weight status have a greater likelihood of being

overweight

Percent of children overweight

Source: Variyam, J.N., 2001.

32

Accurate

Parental perception of own overweight status

Underestimate

42

0

10

20

30

40

50