Children's Health Children's Nutrition and Fitness

This generation of American youth is fatter than the generation before it


Approximately two-thirds of all Americans are considered overweight. The fact is that 15 percent of kids aged 6 to 19 are overweight. This is triple what the proportion was in 1980. Where once kids were active, they now can be found glued to video games and computer screens while munching on empty carbohydrates. Fast foods and vending machines in schools that dispense snacks with empty calories also contribute to the problem. Research shows that many of these children will become overweight adults. This not only impacts the health of these future adults, but creates an emotional and psychological burden that these youngsters will carry with them into adulthood.