There’s no denying that childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the US. Fast food and junk food is marketed heavily toward children, and the increased availability of convenience foods and decrease in families who sit down to meals together has combined with alarming levels of inactivity to produce many overweight and obese children.

Research indicates that even children as young as ages 2 to 4 are joining the numbers of obese and overweight kids in our society. Left unchecked, childhood obesity leads to a downward spiral of health problems for the children it affects.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the incidence of obesity and overweight has been on the rise since the mid-1970s. For children aged 2 to 5 years, the increase was from 5 percent to 13.9 percent. For children ages 6 to 11, the rate rose from 6.5 percent to 18.9 percent, and from 5 percent to 17.4 percent for teens aged 12 to 19. Rates are not decreasing, either.

The increasing rates are a concern not only because overweight children develop problems as children, but also because being overweight as a child has a much more profound effect on future health than does adding weight as an adult.

Being obese or overweight increases the risk of many health conditions and diseases, including hypertension, osteoarthritis and other joint conditions, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

Obesity affects children emotionally and psychologically as well. Overweight and obese children cannot play as other children do and struggle to keep up on the playground. The social stigma of being fat affects children’s perception of themselves and can lead to depression. Long-term health problems can adversely affect future employability, health care costs, and productivity in the workplace.

Clearly, the far-reaching affects of obesity are a concern for everyone. Children are, after all, our future, and overweight children maygrow into overweight adults. If your child is overweight or obese, check with your doctor to determine the best course of action to help halt this downward spiral of physical and emotional health problems.

Often a change in eating and exercise habits can make a big difference in a child’s weight, but a child cannot be expected to make those changes alone. Embracing this epidemic as something we can all help to halt will lessen the long-term affects of childhood obesity.