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Children's Calorie Consumption Down, But Obesity Rises

By: Sandy Hausman, Virginia Public Radio // March 3, 2013
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the overall consumption of calories for children has declined, however, childhood obesity has gone up 3 percent.

"If caloric intake is going down, but obesity is still going up, the last piece of the puzzle that we're truly missing is the physical activity," says John Sirard, a professor at the University of Virginia, specializing in exercise and its impact on the body.

Sirard says he worries that children are still spending too much time staring at computer and TV screens when they should be exercising. He's not sure whether a decline in consumption of carbohydrates among kids is good news.

"You know that might be a good thing if we're getting rid of the white bread and simple sugars, but if we're losing some high fiber, complex carbohydrate foods, then that's not a good thing," he says. "I'm willing to bet we're going to be seeing some more in-depth analysis in the months to come."

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