Summer break weight gain is real, with Latino children especially at risk

School's out for the summer, and millions of children are home relaxing, working or frolicking in the sun. But, summer's also a time when many kids can gain weight quickly – and at unhealthy levels.

The obesity rate for children in the United States has nearly quadrupled in recent decades, from about 5% in the 1970s to 19.8% – about 14.5 million kids – by 2020, American Heart Association statistics show. Obesity rates are disproportionately higher among Hispanic children, affecting about 30% of Hispanic boys and 23% of Hispanic girls. And research suggests Hispanic children may be more susceptible to summer weight gain than most of their peers.

"Childhood obesity has really tremendous implications for adult health," said Eduardo Bustamante, an assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago. If left untreated, he said, obesity can continue into adulthood and lead to medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. It also has been associated with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.

Obesity most often begins during adolescence, but it also can develop between ages 5 and 6, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. But Bustamante said obesity can appear in Latino children as young as 2 years old. "The disparities emerge before kindergarten," he said.

Children are considered to have obesity when their body mass index – a calculation based on weight and height – is at or above the 95th percentile among...