Why should all parents get involved in preventing obesity?

The notion that obese children and adolescents will "grow out of it" is waning.

• About 50 % of obese school-age children become obese adults
• 75 % of obese teenagers go on to become obese adults
• In adulthood, obesity is a chronic disease with health consequences that account for almost as many deaths as smoking
• Obesity is responsible for the explosion of Type 2 diabetes, which is now seen in children and adolescents at an average age of 13
• Children and adolescents need the resources and support to deal with their weight before it becomes a life-long problem.

Source: Andrea Garber, Ph.D., RD (UCSF) "Evaluation and Management of Childhood and Teen Obesity: Tips from the WATCH clinic at the UCSF (University of California in San Francisco) Children’s Hospital"