Childhood obesity is a major health issue facing the nation today. There has been a huge increase in the number of obese adults over the last few decades. This has lead to huge increases in health care for the associated conditions brought about by obesity. These include diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, sleep disturbance and degenerative bone and joint disease.

The problem is becoming more and more frequent amongst today's youth. Statistics put at least 25% of the children in the united states as seriously overweight or obese.

In order to come up with an effective solution to today's childhood obesity problem we need to look at the causes. There is a lot of truth to the old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". We need to make changes that encourage children to avoid gaining excess weight to begin with.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

• Children today are consuming more high calorie, high carbohydrate meals
• Portion size has increased dramatically

• The schools have seen a deluge of high calorie, high carbohydrate commercial foods that have displaced the more traditional meals that tend to be prepared on site with fresher ingredients.
• There is an enormous increase in the consumption of high fructose corn syrup, usually in the form of sugared soft drinks.
• The commercial food industry has made and continues to make a well funded and highly researched advertising effort aimed directly at our children. These advertisements tend to promote high calorie, high carbohydrate, unhealthy foods.
• There are huge government subsidies of corn crops much of which ends up as high fructose corn syrup.
• Today's children spend too much time participating in sedentary activities. The allure of television, sophisticated video games, movies and computers minimize physical activity.
• Parents are setting terrible examples for their children. The average weight of parents for at risk children is higher than ever before.

These are just some samples of the causes of childhood obesity and there are certainly many more.

We must lead by example. If you have children, make diet and exercise an important part of their daily routine. By keeping yourself in better physical shape, you are sending a positive message to your children.

We must all strive to engage others in our communities to work together to combat the issue of Childhood Obesity. Any effective solution must surely include some policy changes at the levels of local and state governments, school boards and the U.S. Congress. This is the future we are fighting for. It is in everyone’s interest that we raise a generation of healthy active children.

Solutions begin with raising awareness and promoting education. The issue should be raised at parent-teacher conferences and community school board meetings. Teachers and schools play a vital role in forming school policies and childhood education programs that can positivley influnce the health of our children. We need parents to take responsibility for themselves and their children and promote healthier lifestyles through diet and exercise.

I am extremely passionate about this cause and reccomend you visit the Obesity Prevention Foundation and donate to our efforts.