"Forty years after Steven Gortmaker first sounded the alarm, clinicians, patients and researchers are still struggling with childhood obesity. In fact, it has gotten worse over the decades. All along, the broad outlines of the problem have been apparent: America's kids eat more and move less than earlier generations."
"Physicians are hoping that recent advances, including surgical procedures and new potent anti-obesity drugs, will help the nation gain ground - or at least stop losing it - on a major public health issue. There is much at stake for the nation's children and teens. Weight problems are associated with greater risk of high blood pressure, prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, chronic liver disease, kidney problems, cardiovascular disease, joint and movement problems, and social stigmatization."
Childhood obesity rates in the United States have risen substantially since the 1960s, moving from around 5 percent to roughly 20 percent by 2020. Multiple interacting factors drive the increase, including greater calorie intake, reduced physical activity, cultural and economic influences, genetic predispositions, and policy environments. Government reluctance to adopt measures such as sugary beverage taxes and restrictions on food advertising to children is cited as a barrier to prevention. Medical responses now include surgical interventions and new potent anti-obesity drugs alongside longstanding prevention and treatment programs. Excess weight in children raises risks for many chronic physical and social conditions.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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