Programs tip scales toward health as rate of overweight childrenincreases

Childhood obesity and its inherent health risks have become a majorhealth crisis. Just a few decades ago, the idea of an obesityepidemic would have seemed inconceivable. As late as the 1960s and1970s, the rate of overweight children remained steady and nominal.By the mid-1980s, however, the numbers began rising and by the1990s, they were surging. In fact, obesity in children ages 6 to 11years has quadrupled the last 25 years and doubled for adolescents,according to the Centers for Disease Control.