With McDonald’s and Burger King chains ubiquitous around the city, buying an item off the dollar menu for dinner seems like the obvious choice over a healthy meal that can be costly. No wonder obesity has become a major health concern in the United States; nonetheless, a new study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) shows a drop in obesity rates among low income children between 1998 to 2010.

From 2003 through 2010 extreme obesity rates among low-income preschool children decreased from 2.22% to 2.07%. This decrease in extreme obesity included all racial and ethnic groups except American Indians/Alaska Natives. Children 2 years of age showed the greatest decline in extreme obesity rates. On the other hand, obesity rates only dropped from 15.21% to 14.94% nationally.

The CDCP’s result shows a slight decline in obesity rates in the country, however  these numbers barely scratch the surface of the issue. The CDCP’s data doesn’t even show a meager one percent decrease. With a decade worth of data the decrease in childhood obesity would seem extremely paltry. As childhood obesity rises, so does the number of children with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

These children will face a grim future that no cheap meal will ever solve.