ATLANTA (AP) — A new government report is the first evidence of a national decline in childhood obesity, health officials said Tuesday.

In 18 states, there were at least slight declines in obesity for low-income preschoolers.

Previous national statistics show obesity rates have been rising for decades and recently were essentially flat, although some places have reported improvements, like Philadelphia and New York City and the state of Mississippi. But the report from the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention shows signs of a wider-ranging improvement.

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