An obese child's quality of life can be compared to that of a child with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, according to a study published in 2003 (Wood & Vega, MD, 2007). "Dr. Philip Thomas, a surgeon in England, working with obese patients was asked in 2006 to comment on what seemed to be societies reaction to the skyrocketing number of obese children, and he was quoted as saying that, "This is going to be the first generation that is going to have a lower life expectancy than their parents, it's like the plague is in town and no one is interested" (Press, 2006). The rapidly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions and continues to soar, with studies predicting that 50% of North and South American children and one out of every five children in China will be obese by the year 2010 creating a public health tragedy that will stem from the significant health issues that were developed in childhood obesity and carried into adulthood, in order to prevent a tragic future, we must become a society willing to put forth more effort towards change, become more involved in prevention and focus on finding effective treatments.
English: These children, playing in a public space...
English: McDonald's patron, 2006.
English: This is a diagram depicting the rise of o...Childhood obesity has become a global crisis and appears to be accelerating out of control, fast becoming an epidemic worse than the gloomiest predictions. Worldwide, 155 million school age children and 22 million children under the age of five are overweight or obese (IOTF, 2008). The future is looking grim. Based on the dramatic increase of obese children, a crippled health care system as well as a tremendous threat to our economy is looming. Children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults, continuing to become sicker as they get older, suffering from heart disease, strokes, and other illnesses stemming...