Yesterday, the CDC reported obesity rates among preschoolers are falling in many states for the first time in decades.
This is good news and reason to celebrate. Yet, this isn’t actually a new development. In fact, obesity rates have been falling for over a decade.
Don’t believe me?
The New York Times reported on declining obesity rates last year. Gallup reported obesity rates were declining in 2011. Even before that, a study released in 2010 by the CDC (yup, the same agency that made the headline-generating announcement yesterday) and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that obesity rates overall are no longer increasing, and that the rates of overweight and obesity among children have remained stable at around 32% and 17%, respectively, for ten years.
Don’t expect the alarmists to rejoice in this news. Even CDC Director Thomas Friedan, who made the good news annoucement yesterday, managed to work the word "epidemic" into the announcement, reminding reporters that "obesity remains epidemic…"
Friedan's alarmism is understandable. A portion of his budget depends on him convincing politicians to keep the funding going for his useless anti-obesity efforts and other programs (you know, like lobbying which is against the law). For Friedan and other big government types, this might not be the best news but for those not interested in profiting from fear, this is continued good (if not exactly new) news on the obesity front.