“Currently, approximately 9 million children over the age of 6 are considered obese” (Mahshid Dehghan). Childhood obesity continues to increase every year. Childhood obesity has many causes centered on an imbalance between energy intake and the amount of energy used. Factors for childhood obesity include children whose parents are obese; low energy expenditure, which corresponds to a low amount of physical activity, is a factor and excessive television viewing, which is a cause of low physical activity time. Another factor that influences childhood obesity is heredity. Infants born to overweight mothers are less active than other infants. Parents are the biggest contributors to childhood obesity, according to statistics, obesity risks and government plans that show childhood obesity is a dangerous and growing problem in the United States. Statistics show that childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. “A major example is that the prevalence of obesity among children ages 6 to 11 is increasing from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2009” (CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health). Not only is the percentage of obese children increasing, but the number of overweight children is also increasing in the United States: “25% of children in the United States are overweight” (Bellows and Roach, 2010). This is an epidemic that, if left unchecked, will continue to worsen over time. Being overweight is not the same as being obese, but there is a good chance that overweight children will become obese. Obesity poses a major risk to life as it can lead to major health risks. “70% of obese children had at least 1 risk factor for cardiovascular disease.” (Bellows and Roach, 2010) Obese children if not helped early...... middle of paper ...... the child may be healthier. Works Cited L. Bellows and J. Roach “Childhood Overweight” www.ext.colostate.edu 2011Colorado State University January 7, 2001National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion “Health Topics: Childhood Obesity”www.cdc. gold 2010 CDC June 3, 2010 Franks, Paul Ph.D, Hanson, Robert “Childhood obesity, other cardiovascular risk factors, and premature death” New England Medical Journal February 1, 2011 Dehghan, Mahshid also Akhtar-Danesh, Noori and Merchant, Anwar T “ Childhood Obesity, Prevalence, and Prevention » Nutrition Journal December 20, 2010Johnsen Ginny RD, LD, CLT Email InterviewRaimo Adrienne RD, LD, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner Email Interview