Obesity mortality is not only hurting adults and children, but now also infants. This is a very serious problem and we as a society can't seem to stop do anything about this because we are so much attached to our gadgets, sedentary lives and junk food.
NPR
Infant Mortality Risk Greater in Obese Mothers
Research published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that a link between maternal overweight and obesity and infant death does exist, however the cause for the association has not been fully elucidated. A review of healthcare databases and observational studies showed that mothers who were categorized as obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) were more likely to have an infant death (odds ratio 1.42), while women who were considered most obese (BMI >35) had even greater odds (odds ratio 2.03). Researchers note that further studies will need to be conducted to understand the true nature of the association between obese mothers and infant mortality.
Andrew Stokes from UPENN
"findings provide simple and compelling evidence that the prior literature underestimates the impact of obesity on levels of mortality in the U.S. But Stokes said that his results need corroboration in future studies because maximum BMI was calculated from peoples’ recollection of their maximum weight, which may be subject to recall error. He said that his analysis should be replicated using longitudinal data with contemporaneous measures of height and weight across the lifecycle."
Dr. Harold Mandel of EmaxHealth
Primary care physicians should be encouraged to spend more time counseling their patients about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and how to do so.