Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-235) and index.

Childhood obesity in the United States has tripled in a generation. But while debates continue over the content of school lunches and the dangers of fast food, we are just beginning to recognize the full extent of the long-term physical, psychological, and social problems that overweight children will endure throughout their lives. Most dramatically, children today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, something never before seen in the course of human history. They will face more chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes that will further burden our healthcare system. Here, the authors examine the full effects of childhood obesity and offer the provocative message that being overweight in youth is not a disease but the result of poor lifestyle choices made by the whole family. They show that it is wrong to assume children will outgrow their baby fat; and being fat as a child leads to chronic adult diseases. They also reveal that the impact of childhood obesity extends far beyond the physical, also affecting lifelong mental health and social functioning. Theirs is a call for parents to have 'the talk' with their kids about diet and nutrition, which medical professionals say is a harder topic to address than sex or drugs.

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