Chocolate bunnies, Cadbury eggs … obese preschoolers. OK, we’re taking a short break from the Easter cupcake entries this week to talk about the startling new study from the National Center for Education Statistics that says nearly 1 in 5 four-year-olds isn’t toting baby fat. Those kids are obese. We’d already heard the CDC stats about America’s kids, ages 2-19, being overweight or on the cusp, but this study links preschoolers, obesity and race – and concludes that children of color are the most likely to be dangerously overweight.

The study, which assessed height and weight data for 8,550 children, found that while 13% of Asian-American kids and 16% of white children were obese, the numbers soared for everyone else: nearly 21% of African-American, 22% of Latino and a staggering 31% of American Indian children. The public health implications are huge. Obesity has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure and other major health issues.

• Read more about the study here.
• Get outside and play with your kids – here are 5 activities to do with your kids, plus 12 rainy day recipes for fitness fun.

Click “comments” and tell us, what do you do to keep your kids fit and healthy?