Tackling Childhood Obesity: Help from InBody

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s. Today, about one in five school-aged children (ages 6–19) has obesity.

There's a big difference among the options of being big boned, overweight, and being considered obese, but most Americans don't really know the defining differences. It can be hard to tell by looking, or even by standard measurements, if someone is teetering on the edge of being overweight into the realm of obesity. This is where InBody comes to the rescue. 

According to the CDC: 

Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors. Body mass index, or BMI, is a widely used screening tool for measuring both overweight and obesity. BMI percentile is preferred for measuring children and young adults (ages 2–20) because it takes into account that they are still growing, and growing at different rates depending on their age and sex. Health professionals use growth charts to see whether a child’s weight falls into a healthy range for the child’s height, age, and sex.

  • Children with a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and less than the 95th percentile are considered overweight.
  • Children at or above the 95th percentile have obesity.

According to the CDC, children's rates of obesity are increasing at startling rates. Utilizing the InBody we are able to accurately measure and combat the steadily rising numbers in childhood obesity.  It's important to have accurate measurements and a real understanding of body composition when creating plans for children to follow and the InBody gives professionals the knowledge they need to do this. 

In New York City more than half of adult New Yorkers are obese, and studies are showing this trend towards obesity begins in early life. 1 in 5 kindergarten students in New York City are obese and 1 in 4 children in Head Start classes are obese. Obesity increases the risk of chronic and debilitating diseases. 

Children who are overweight or obese at 3 to 5 years old are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults. This is an epidemic we can fight and the use of InBody is helping professionals make a serious difference.

At Sloane Stecker Physical Therapy we believe that knowledge is power and we fill both of our clinics in the Upper West Side and Westchester with equipment to help us and our patients achieve the results and lifelong health they're looking for.