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Child/Teen Obesity Rate Bad, Not Worse

May 27, 2008 -- For the first time in 20 years, America's child obesity rate hasn't gotten worse.

But it's not any better, according to the latest figures from the CDC.

	31.9% of kids are overweight
	16.3% of kids are obese
	11.3% of kids are in the "heaviest of the heavy" category

"The numbers are still too high, but there is cause for cautious optimism. It may be leveling off after steady increases," CDC epidemiologist Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD, tells WebMD.

The numbers come from in-home surveys in which trained researchers interviewed parents and examined a nationally representative sample of 8,165 children and adolescents. The findings are not based on parent reports, which tend to be highly inaccurate, so the CDC data is considered a true snapshot of American children's health.