Parents teach their children to cover their noses and mouths when they cough or sneeze, and remind them to wash their hands often to avoid colds, flu and other diseases. For all their care, there's an epidemic parents may have overlooked - one that cannot be avoided by good hygiene - childhood obesity. Since 1999, the numbers of overweight children and adolescents have tripled. Recognizing that overweight is a public health problem, the Surgeon General issued a Call to Action (www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm) to focus attention on this issue for children and adolescents. As follow up, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services launched a Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative in November 2007 (www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/11/pr20071127a.html)

Even before the government weighed in, Eleanor Randolph, a member of the editorial board for the New York Times (NYT), proposed 10 action steps to encourage healthier lifestyles for children and adolescents. To those steps we've added updated resources and information. The original article appeared in the NYT May 10, 2006. To learn more, read here. [PDF, 273KB].