According to a study in California, approximately 5.5 percent of girls and 7.3 percent of boys are classified as extremely obese. The case gets worse when it comes to black and Hispanic kids, where 11.9 percent of black teenage girls and 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys are classified obese. A child having a body-mass-index (BMI) of 35 kg per meter square or weighing more than 1.2 times the 95^th percentile can be termed ‘Obese’. This obesity epidemic has shown increase with the number of years and has thus become a matter of concern for the parents.

The Obesity epidemic is said to be driven by a combination of poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. Parents really need to keep a check on these as extreme obesity can lead fatal and serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Thus, it is very important to keep a watch on these obese kids in order to prevent the adverse effects rise up in the near future.

The obese children even might continue to be extremely obese as adults, and any type of health problems related with obesity tends to become a part of these children’s futures. These children tend to have a 10 to 20 years shorter life span compared to a normal healthy child as they start showing signs of obesity problems while in their twenty’s, which one might observe during the 40 to 60 span. No major lifestyle changes appear for such children.

Obesity peaks at age of 12 for girls and 10 for boys.  Thus, it becomes extremely critical for the parents to provide their families with healthy and nutritious food right from the very beginning. Healthy food is also delicious and affordable but the people are made to believe that the junk or fast food and sweets are the cheapest and the easiest way to go. Even the food advertisements target children. The statistics revealed that more than $1.6 billion was spent on marketing beverages and food to children in 2006. Imagine if even a fraction of this money was spent to promote healthy food items like fruits, vegetables, beans, grains and other nutrition education for the public, the scenario could have been totally different. People would have learnt how to buy and prepare healthy foods on a budget, which could have reduced the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and hearth disease in children.

Thus, it has become very essential for food companies, health professionals and state governments to motivate, educate and empower children and adults to lead healthier lives before it gets too late!