Childhood Obesity An Epidemic in the United States

â€Å"Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese† states (Children and Teens, 1). Yes, one fourth of all children in the United States are obese, and inevitably this number will continue to rise. Obesity is one of the most obvious conditions to recognize, yet one of the most difficult to treat for quite a few reasons (Children and Teens, 1). Childhood obesity has been an epidemic in the United States for many years, but has recently skyrocketed, due to lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices among children in America. In order to fully understand why so many children are obese, you must first understand what it means to be obese. In order to be medically labeled as obese your BMI has to be over the 95 percentile for your height and gender, whereas normal BMI is between the 5th and 85th (Overweight and Obesity, 1). As sad as it is, childhood obesity is one of the most common issues pediatricians see today. Today’s generation of children is th e most inactive and obese in all of U.S. history (Loonin, 54). Poor exercise habits are developed as early as preschool age (All children above the age of 2 should be getting at least an hour of exercise a day in order to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight (Overweight and Obesity, 2). Many young children have become accustomed to staying inside and using electronics, where they do not have to exert much energy whereas going outside and playing would. 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