Obesity in Americans has been a topic of debate over the last decade. Americans are among the most obese people in the world. Obesity causes a variety of health problems that cost American billions each year. In recent years there has also been an increase in obesity in children. The purpose of this discussion is to investigate obesity in children. The discussion will focus on poor eating habits and lack of exercise as the primary causes of obesity in children. The paper will also focus on ways to prevent childhood obesity. .

             Obesity in Children.

             According to an article found in Childhood Education there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in children over the past few decades. The article reports that the increase in obesity has occurred over all ethnic, racial, gender and age groups (Hoot & Lynn-Garbe). In addition nearly 10% of children from the ages of 2 to 6 and 15% of children 6 to 19 are overweight (Ogden et al.; Hoot & Lynn-Garbe). Other statistics assert the following .

             "The number of overweight children in the United States has been on the rise since the early 1960s (table 1). During the 1960s, the National Health Examination Survey (NHES), the precursor to the NHANES series, confirmed that the percentage of children between 6 and 11 years old who were overweight was 4 percent, while the percentage among adolescents (12-19 years old) was 5 percent. By 2000, the number of overweight American youths in both age groups had dangerously increased--to 15.3 percent and 15.5 percent respectively (American Obesity Association [AOA], 2002; CDC, 1999). This exponential escalation of overweight children will continue to challenge society's healthcare system because they will most likely become overweight or obese adults with future health difficulties (Salbe & Ravussin, 2000; Irwin et al).".

             The article further explains that obesity in children is a huge concern for the public and the healthcare system in particular.