February 26, 2014
Research indicating that the obesity rate among young children is declining was covered by all of last night’s national news broadcasts, for a total of three-and-a-half minutes, by most major US newspapers, by wire sources, and on many major websites. Many sources hailed the findings, with some experts saying the data indicate that anti-obesity efforts are paying off. However, the good news was tempered by the fact that no decline in obesity rates was seen among any other age group. Many sources quote CDC director Tom Frieden and CDC epidemiologist Cynthia Ogden, lead author of the study.

NBC Nightly News (2/25, story 3, 1:55, Williams) reported, in what it called “stunning news,” that “researchers say there’s evidence of a dramatic drop in obesity among young children.” NBC’s Rehema Ellis said, “Researchers tracked two to five-year-olds and found the obesity rate went from 14 percent in 2003 to 8 percent in 2012. That’s a stunning 43 percent decline in obesity.”
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