16% of pre-teen boys suffer from obesity

Associated Press in an article about new generation of computer games requiring physical exercise notes the current statistics on child obesity in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16% of boys and 14.5% of girls ages 6 to 11 were obese in 1999 and 2000, the latest years studied. That compares with 4.3% of boys and 3.6% of girls from 1971 to 1974. A sedentary lifestyle was a big contributor to the increase, the CDC said.