Understanding Youth and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity:
Resources for Families and Communities (page 4) Over the past
three decades, the number of young people who are obese has
nearly tripled (National Center for Health Statistics, 2006).
Currently, approximately 17.4% of adolescents (ages 12-19) and
18.8% of children (ages 6-11) are considered overweight
(National Center for Health Statistics, 2006). In 2004, the U.S.
Institute of Medicine called the prevention of childhood obesity
a national priority. The consequences of childhood overweight
and obesity are serious. Being overweight or obese increases the
risk for heart problems, high blood pressure, and other medical
problems (e.g., Sothern et al., 2000), and the psychological
impact of being overweight can be devastating. Obesity during
childhood and adolescence has been associated with higher rates
of sickness and death in adulthood, even when adult weight is
considered (Must, Jaques, Dallal, Bajema, & Dietz, 1992). This
means that overweight kids ma