Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon has the lowest percentage of obese kids in the nation -- according to a new study released by the federal government  Monday. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

About 16 percent of American children were considered obese in 2007.

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration researcher Gopal Singh, says Oregon's children did much better.

Their obesity rate was just under 10 percent -- and he hopes the state health department might look into why.

Gopal Singh: "The good news is that yes, childhood obesity prevalence has declined. Yet one cannot rest on this because you still have one in four children who are overweight. They should continue to be better prepared to bring down the level even more."

Oregon is the only state whose childhood obesity rate fell significantly between 2003 and 2007.

Oregon law sets nutrition standards in schools and requires restaurant chains to post nutritional information.

Those steps wouldn't have shown up in the study, because they've only recently been put in place, but they may reflect Oregon's interest in health.