Nearly 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese. Because this is such a growing tragedy, the President of the United States of America officially declared September 2010 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. This declaration brings national attention to a growing epidemic among youth in the United States.
According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 10.4 percent of American children ages 2 to 5 are obese, 19.6 percent of kids between 6 to 11 are obese, and 18.1 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are obese. Pediatricians and gastroenterologists continue to link this obesity epidemic to an increasing number of children with diabetes, high blood pressure and liver disease. Experts blame: