We’ve heard over and over again that our country has extreme numbers of dangerously obese people.  But what some people fail to realize are the numbers of children who also fall into this category. If we think our numbers are high now, wait until all the obese children grow up to become obese adults – the numbers will only continue to sky rocket the way things are going.  So here are 6 shocking facts about childhood obesity that will help people recognize the extent and severity of this problem.

Fact 1: It costs about $550,000 in health treatments for an obese 18-year old to remain obese throughout his or her lifetime. That’s a ton of money wasted on a completely preventable problem!  Imagine the house you could buy with that money! Every parent wants their child to grow up to be a healthy adult, but with all of the poor food choices and lack of physical activity, it’s becoming much less frequent. Parents – only you can instill the values of a healthy lifestyle.

Fact 2: The increasing numbers of obese children coincides with increasing fast food and soda pop consumption.  Over the past 40 years or so, consumption of these unhealthy food and drink choices has increased over 300%!  Families should try cooking more family meals at home. This helps keep kids from eating too much fast food, and parents have more control over what types of foods their kids are eating.

Fact 3: Only 21% of young people get the their 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day.  About half of a child’s vegetable consumption comes from fried potatoes! If there’s one thing that scientists and doctors know for sure, it’s the importance of eating fruits and vegetables daily.  They provide our bodies with many nutrients that we can’t get any other way.  Even multivitamins are not a replacement for eating fruits and veggies.

Fact 4: Snoring among children was over 3 times higher in obese children than average children.  Snoring can prevent children from getting the rest they need to function during the day.  This can lead to problems concentrating in the classroom.

Fact 5: Obesity, glucose intolerance (diabetes) and hypertension in children were all associated with increased risk of premature death.  Diabetes and hypertension are medical problems that you typically associate with adults and not children.  That’s because children are not meant to be having these kinds of medical problems.  Type 2 diabetes should be a rarity among children, not an epidemic.

The bottom line is that if we want our youth to grow up to be happy and healthy people, we need to make changes now.  It’s a vicious cycle that needs to be addressed before it continues to spin further out of our control.

What do you think about this issue?  Does your school district do anything to help children maintain a healthy lifestyle?