take hold young
この十年間でアメリカの幼児の肥満率が大きく減少したとの報道です。
Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% Over Past Decade, Federal Survey Finds
Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a stunning 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke.
The drop emerged from a major federal health survey that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a welcome surprise to researchers. New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: Children who are overweight or obese between age 3 and 5 are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults.
take hold youngというのは分かっていても、パッとは出てきません。take holdそのものには「（物事が）定着する、確立される」という意味があり、ここでは become established when we are very youngの意味で用いられています。日本語では幼児期に「決まる」「確立される」などというと思います。（UG）
