Fewer kids in Arizona’s nutritional welfare program are overweight or obese. The Arizona Department of Health Services credits several state health programs for the progress.
State data show that in 2016, 24 percent of preschoolers in the Arizona Women Infants and Children Program, or WIC, were overweight. A 5 percent decrease from 2008.
DHS director Dr. Cara Christ said the trend is encouraging.
"While it doesn’t seem like it’s a large number when you’re dealing with population level numbers 5 percent can mean thousands of kiddos," she said.
Christ explained when WIC program obesity levels crept close to 30 percent in 2008, DHS launched several state programs to address the issue like having childcare facilities teach basic healthy eating and exercising standards and including more fruit and veggies in the WIC food packages.
