The number  of overweight children has doubled in recent years

with a quarter of children considered overweight or obese.

Unhealthy foods choices, lack of activity & family eating habits are the cause of obesity.
Modeling is an essential part of children's learning, so parents are role model for children.

Some hard facts:

In 1995, 21 % of boys and 23% of girls (aged 2-17) were classified as overweight or obese
In 1985 - 1995 proportion of obese girls increased from 1.2% to 5.5% and obese boys increased from 1.4% to 4.7%
Prevalence of overweight/obesity in young Australians doubled from 1985 -1995 the number of 7-15 years olds.
Obese children have a 25-50% chance of progression to adult obesity. This may be as high as 78% in older obese adolescence.
children as young as 10 years of age already have high cholesterol and high blood pressure
estimate for Australia 1995/6 suggest that the true costs of obesity may be between $680 and $1239 million per annum.

It is predicted that 65% of young Australians will be overweight or obese by 2020.

Health implications of overweight and obesity:

Obesity is serious and can lead to chronic medical conditions. some parents say its only puppy fat it will go away as they get older.
short term problems of being overweight include constipation, gastrointestinal, reflux, diabetes, orthopedic problems, psychological problems including poor self esteem, depression, social isolation, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, increased rate of some cancers, & psychological problems.

Adults aren't any better recent studies estimates that 67% of Australian men and 52% of Australian woman aged 25 years and over, are overweight or obese, and these figures are on the increase.

Changing society has contributed to obesity
As overweight and obesity have become more common, there have been some major changes in how we live. These changes have led to people either eating more or becoming less active, all of which has contributed to an increase in overweight and obesity.

eg: Overall cost of food has gone down. More food is prepared away from home.  Energy dense foods and drinks are more readily available.

Portion sizes have increased. Marketing of energy dense foods and drinks have increased. The use of cars have increased. School sports have decreased. Kids often spend most of their time on computers. Mums and dads are working more.

Health problems associated with obesity 
Most of the health problems associated with obesity become obvious in adulthood. Early signs of these later problems are commonly found in children. Potential health problems for obese children include: type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in children. eating disorders such as bulimia or binge eating. Liver problems including fatty liver. Orthopedic disorders - problems with food structure. respiratory disorders, such as blocked airways, restrictions in the chest wall, case breathlessness during exercise. Sleep apnea - this condition causes difficulty breathing when sleeping. It also causes snoring, waking often and poor sleep. It makes people feed tired and contributes to poor concentration. Cardio-myopathy is a problem with the heart muscle. Its caused when extra effort is needed to pump blood

(all stats from flirtation cert children's fitness & nutrition)