According to  recent research, child obesity might be leveling off after increasing during the past 25 years.  A parent can do  bad things to a child.  But making a young child obese must be one of the worst things imaginable.  A parent is almost making sure a child is facing a life of ridicule, psychological problems, teasing, low self esteem, and health problems. The information is out there and every parent know, or should know, about the dangers and problems.  How come this is still an issue?
In 2003-04 and 2005-06, roughly 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese and 11 percent were extremely obese, according to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those levels held steady after rising without interruption since 1980.
Those are some really depressing statistics.  Im always hoping people in society are getting smarter but it looks like Im wrong.  That were still having problems with obesity, in adults and children, after all we know points to very serious educational problems.  Or is there some other reason?
Kids don have much of a choice at home, they eat whats on the table.  If food consist mainly of junk there will be serious consequences.  I think most parents are forgetting the huge responsibility concerning a decent diet but more importantly, the enormous additional problems and challenges an obese child will face throughout life.
Obesity is often defined as a BMI over 30.  Although this is a decent indicator of general health I would recommend not trusting this index blindly. A parent unfortunately does not need to calculate BMI to see if a child is obese.  Its very obvious.
Growing up is not easy, being obese and growing up is just cruel.  I feel so sorry for all these kids and  all the extra challenges that wait. Made fun of every day at school, no girlfriends/boyfriends, picked last for sports, ill fitting clothes, low self esteem, and out of breath after a flight of stairs. Not to mention future problem such as diabetes, heart and psychological issues.
My son has large bones, Honestly, we eat really good food.  No junk at all, Grandparents spoil her too much, Food at school is unhealthy, He drinks very little soda, or  Chips and donuts are not unhealthy are some comments I regularly hear regarding obesity.  In rare cases, obesity can be explained by necessary medications or perhaps some disease.
Parents of obese children often argue that kids are young and should have some fun.  Eat some junk food, drink soda, and enjoy chips with their friends while playing video games.  I agree, kids should have lots of fun.  A child can eat cookies, chips, pizza, burgers, fries, hot dogs, and drink plenty of soda and shakes without being obese.  As long as its not done all the time.  And as long as he/she also plays with friends outside and live a normal active life. Video games or computer are also fine, just not all the time.  Balance is the key.
Is it fair to blame parents for their obese kids?  In my view, definitely.  Who else is to blame?  Parents are in charge, making all choices for a their little ones for quite a few years.  Food at school, a friends house, or grandparents can play a small role but those are after all choices a parent make.
How do we decrease obesity?  Its all about habits and education  which unfortunately are difficult to change. This is very clear when traveling to other countries.  Some have obese kids wherever I look, in other places I cant find a single obese child.
A child growing up obese and learning to eat nothing but junk is likely to maintain those habits.  Bad habits are very difficult to break.  Just look around and see how many adults who are desperately trying to lose weight and change habits.  Few unfortunately succeed.
A parent is often a hero  Kids often copy parental behavior and this is bad news for many families.  Obese parents often means kids turn obese as well simply by following their parents bad habits.  For most of you reading this, its all common sense.  Of course you give your child decent food and dont fill up the sippy cup for your 8-month old with soda.  Its not exactly rocket science to understand chips and pizza every single day might not be a good idea. But many parents seem to lack this seemingly simple rational way of thinking.  How do we reach them?
Personally, I dont see any signs obesity is leveling out but hopefully Im wrong.  What about you? Are we turning things around or is obesity like the gas price and housing market, bad but there are much worse things to come?