Enlarge this image toggle caption Lawrence K. Ho/LA Times via Getty Images Lawrence K. Ho/LA Times via Getty Images.
Hopes were dashed this week that the United States was finally making progress in the fight against childhood obesity.
In fact, there's been a big jump in obesity among the nation's youngest children, according to the latest analysis of federal data, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Childhood obesity rates have been rising for decades, sparking widespread alarm among public health researchers and officials.
Obese children tend to become obese adults, who are prone to many health problems, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
The latest analysis shows that the percentage of children ages 2 to 19 who are obese increased from 14 percent in 1999 to 18.5 percent in 2015 and 2016.
Hispanic and African-American children continue to be much more likely to become obese than white children, the analysis shows. »