That number is twice as many as 10 years ago. Obesity researcher James Hill, director of the Colorado Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at the University of Colorado, sees the problem reaching epidemic proportions with no end in sight. Specialists say the common causes of obesity in children include poor dietary choices, sedentary lifestyles, and absence of physical education in public schools and too many high-sugar sodas and fruit drinks and snacks. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest says children are drowning in soda pop and empty carbohydrate calories and skipping the nutitious foods. Studies show they re now getting two or three times the daily sugar allotment just from all the soda and juice they don t need.
Obesity can cause a host of problems for children now and in the future.
One of the most serious problems in overweight children is Type 2 diabetes a disease that has more than tripled in the past five years. Overweight children are also at an increased risk for obesity as adults and may increase their risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer later in life. If you think your child is overweight, talk to your child s doctor. The body mass index is a formula used to assess a person s body weight in relation to his height. Multiply weight in pounds by 705, divide by height in inches, then divide again by height in inches.