Childhood Obesity: Get the Facts

About 25 million U.S. children are obese or at risk of becoming obese. That’s one out of every three kids. This isn’t someone else’s problem; this is America’s problem. Here, you can learn childhood obesity facts, and explore the causes and health risks of childhood obesity. You’ll also learn what you can do to prevent childhood obesity, and how you can get kids to think about food, exercise and health in a new way.

NEXT What Is It?

Centers for Disease Control

An overview of childhood obesity, its causes and consequences @ cdc.gov

American Heart Association

Childhood obesity resources and links @ americanheart.org

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Learn about efforts of the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation @ healthiergeneration.org

More Resources...

Change your formula: Consume less, expend more.

It sounds simple, but the key to preventing and managing childhood obesity is reducing the amount of calories that go in and increasing the amount of calories that are burned with exercise.

Make food fun.

If eating right seems like punishment, no kid will want to do it. Involve your children in meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking. Give your child several healthy choices and let him or her plan dinner. Make funny faces out of veggie sticks. Use pretzels to make fruit or veggie sculptures.

Make family dinners a priority.

Life is busy and schedules are hectic. But studies show that kids in families that sit down together for dinner several night a week are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits and behavior. They also do better in school.