The CDC says the prevalence of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, jumping from 7 percent in 1980 to 18.8 percent in 2004. Additionally, studies show that overweight youth are prone to becoming overweight or obese teens and adults and are at greater risk for adult-related health problems, including heart disease, stroke, several types of cancer, osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes.
In this state, the California Obesity Prevention Initiative reports a steady increase in overweight youth suffering unnecessarily from long-term health problems, especially in several of the state’s ethnic populations.
For the past few years, everyone from federal and local governments to school districts, from fast food industries to health care professionals have done nothing but point fingers at who is to blame for the rise in obesity. Today, however, the focus is shifting toward taking action to fight the problem that is threatening the lives of a growing number of young people.