Time To Get Serious About Childhood Obesity

We’ve talked about the problem of childhood obesity here before. We know about Yakima’s unfortunate reputation as a “heavy-weight” city. But the problem is bigger than the Northwest or the U.S. It is a bit ironic to say the problem of Childhood Obesity is becoming one of global proportions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that that over the next decade the number of children under age 5 worldwide who are overweight or obese will jump from 41 million to 70 million.

The WHO's Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity says world governments need to start working now to reverse the trend, noting that children's environments are increasingly saturated with marketing for unhealthy foods and beverages. A WHO press release cautions, "Overweight and obesity impact on a child's quality of life, as they face a wide range of barriers, including physical, psychological and health consequences." (UPI)