Childhood Obesity is Causing Death

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too much. A person may be overweight from extra muscle, bone, or water, as well as from having too much fat.(Obesity definition)
If you believe growing waistlines are a problem affecting only rich countries, think again. The latest data reveals that the number of overweight and obese people in the developing world has more than tripled – from about 250 million in 1980 to almost a billion by 2008.(A Weighty Problem: How to Halt Obesity in the Developing World.)
Obesity continues to be one of America's most mentioned topics in the media today. Often citing the increased incidence of disease because we American's are fat. Why, we eat out too often, we do not make the right menu choices, and most importantly--we are not active enough to compensate for the intake of high calorie foods consumed everyday.
You are what you eat. The fact is many American’s are out to lunch when it comes to making healthy food choices. The obesity epidemic is affecting every man, woman, and child regardless of age, race, religion or geographic location. Obesity occurs in over one-third of adults age 20 or over (BMI ≥ 30)Body Mass Index. More remarkable is the dramatic weight increase in America’s adolescent youth. According to the NHANES 1999 - 2000 data, 15% of children ages 6-11 are overweight.(Obesity In America.
The upshot is that there are almost twice as many overweight and obese people in the developing world than in industrialised countries, which are more commonly associated with piling on the pounds. Yet despite this rapid growth some 842 million people who go to bed hungry, even though there is more food available than ever before.
People are pro...

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...eloping countries.
Up to one out of every five children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Children have fewer weight-related health and medical problems than adults. However, overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults, placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later in life. They are also more prone to develop stress, sadness, and low self-steem.
A severely obese 10-year-old girl died because she was too overweight, an inquest has heard.
Shannon Appleton-Gower, who had learning difficulties, was found not breathing in bed at home by her stepfather last November.
The inquest heard that Shannon died from acute cardio-respiratory failure, sleep apnoea and acute pulmonary hypertension - all caused by her weight.(Childhood overweight and obesity)