How can we fix it?

What do you suggest?

Not every family can afford organized sport, and not every kid enjoys sports anyway. Less emphasis on competitive activities all the time and more on activity in general. I'm glad Nintendo's Wii provides some fitness games. It's about time game developers (including whoever's behind Dance Dance Revolution) admit they've compounded the problem.

Not every family can afford to shop for the healthiest food choices. Everyone seems so pro vegetarian/organic these days but how many families can take advantage of the benefits while literally ignoring the cost to do so? (As an aside, hunt around for the stories of people who've killed their children by forcing them onto soy and vegan diets instead of every food group. It's chilling) Not every family lives close enough to a decent grocery store, either, and if they're working from a limited budget (and not smoking or drinking or gambling the cash away) then four or five boxes of mac & cheese stretch further than a papaya does.

More emphasis on health and nutrition in school can only go so far when pop and candy machines are around every corner and the kids have to live with parents who may not be educated past the age of fifteen. That said, even well educated rich folks raise porkers. Some of it just comes down to genetics, a fact some people like to pretend doesn't exist (unless they're making racist remarks about blacks and latinos).

Not every family has a computer but most have a television (or three) and don't set limits on how much time kids watch it. A lot of people don't want to let their kids walk to school anymore out of fear of predators, nor let them run free in a park all afternoon or evening. A lot of parents have next to no chores for their kids to do that would help them get active.

Of course excess weight is a health issue but fat isn't the enemy people like to think it is. Humans have a basic need for fat and can cause themselves just as many health related problems by avoiding it completely.

Obesity isn't the problem here. It's a symptom of something far far worse than a diet of Cheetos. True, a person needs to be more sensible when it comes to food choices, but our society isn't built on sense. It's built on a Waltonesque value for one's money. It's cheaper to buy in bulk. A half plate of food ordered at a restaurant isn't actually half of the regular serving, nor is it even close to the true size of a portion of meat or bread. Most people have no idea how to judge a portion because they were never taught and they've rarely had a conscious thought about how much they've actually consumed in a day unless they're actively attempting the latest fad diet and tracking everything (a boring process soon forgotten, I might add).

I don't really have any solutions either. It comes down to more than just what some kid put in his or her mouth last week. Reasons why people overeat need to be clarified and better understood. Methods to alter one's food habits need to be based on nutrition and increased activity but need to be available and affordable to everyone, not just a chosen few who can afford to buy a child a gym membership like the ones mentioned at kidsandfitness.com and other sites. There has to be agreement between producers and suppliers and buyers and health advocates and schools to focus on improving health overall, not just in the fatties and rich kids. I don't think it's going to happen.

Non-Profit fat camp.

Better yet, concentration camps.

That comment is not a valid argument, nor is it a real solution. It's not even in the realm of droll humour or sarcastic wit. That comment serves no purpose except to be crass and disturbing and juvenile. Reply like you have a real opinion about this topic or don't reply at all.

Good habits need to be encouraged at all times. I think the trouble is getting kids interested in their own health and well being. It's not enough to be pestered by teachers and doctors and parents and suffer ridicule from peers. Kids have to understand how their bodies use food and be taught every day about how do feed the body right and have fun doing it. Diets are a chore, not an adventure. There has to be a better reason to stay slim than attracting boys or fitting into a nice pair of jeans. Kids don't get any real sense of how vital good heath will be as they age. They need to be surrounded at all times by positive role models who practice what they preach about good nutrition and staying active and making it a behaviour they'll do automatically. Restricting kids just makes them want to try what they've been told to avoid, be it sex, drugs or Hershey bars.

Although you're making some great points about the subject of obesity, this topic was created in the "Shell Shock" forum, therefore arguments do not need to be valid, or make any sense whatsoever.

If you'd like a focused discussion about the topic, please post in "The Commons" forum.

I didn't realize we were actually going to find a solution to childhood obesity right here on my own forum. This is great! Inform the news!

I made another topic about Childhood Obesity in the Commons for you if you'd like to seriously discuss your opinion on the matter.

By the way, you spelled obesity wrong. *cough*

To be, or not to be....
You get the idea.
And read Just a Puddle, too. (See my profile content)
I'm happy. I'm crazy. I'm friendly. I'm Timmy. So be it.

Yeah I noticed that after I posted the topic. My fingers failed me and I did the horrible act of switching my 's' and 'e' around. Shame on me.

What's more sad, is that nobody noticed until now.

I say make an FKWF; a Fat Kid Wrestling Federation. Make the fatties fight each other until one of them (or both) die, or they get thin. Problem solved in an amusingly awesome way.