Child obesity

For anyone who finds this, here's a few facts about child obesity taken from childrenhospitals.net. Obese children not only in America, but over the entire world, are becoming an increasing problem, almost reaching epidemic levels! If you have a kid or you know any kids well, teach them about eating healthy and playing games outside as opposed to getting stuff from vending machines and staying inside during recess. It'll help them in the long run!
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 percent of children 6-19 years old are overweight or obese -- a number that has tripled over the past two decades.

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The CDC also reports that more than 10 percent of children ages 2-5 are overweight.

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According to the surgeon general, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. The risk increases to 80 percent if the child’s parent is overweight or obese.

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A recent poll commissioned by the American Public Health Association finds that 89 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is a serious problem.

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Experts agree that inactivity and poor eating habits contribute to obesity. While national guidelines recommend 150 minutes of physical activity each week for elementary children and 225 minutes for older children, only Illinois has a statewide requirement for daily physical education.

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Nearly 93 percent of high school students buy food from vending machines, school stores and snack bars, while only 21 percent of these venues offer healthy foods such as low-fat yogurt or fruits and vegetables.

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In 20 years, annual hospital costs for obesity-associated diseases among children ages 6- 17 years increased three-fold from $35 million in 1979 to $127 million in 1999.

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Between 1999 and 2002, morbidly obese admissions at children's hospitals increased 106 percent for children 6 -12 years of age.

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