Almost 15% of all children in the United States are officially Obese.  Over 25 Million children are overweight or in danger of being so. Childhood obesity is rising and it is currently the biggest pediatric problem nationally.

It is not realistic though to expect kids to tackle this issue by themselves.  A child cannot stop themselves from becoming overweight or obese. It is highly unlikely that a child can loose weight by themselves either.  If you want to ensure your child doesn’t become obese as a child then you will have to make changes to the whole family. Childhood obesity is usually caused by not enough exercise and too much food.

As parents, one of the best things we could do for our kids which would also be good for their waistlines is to have a family routine of having dinner together, turn the TV off and ensure the kids go to sleep early.  Kids who make a routine of eating family dinners, cutting down TV and gaming time, and getting a good night's sleep are 40 percent less likely to be obese than those who practice none of these habits.