By Claudia Anrig, DC

Growing up "fat" is easy to do when 20 percent of all children eat more than three times a week at a fast-food establishment, 13 percent of their average daily calories come from soft drinks, and the average person consumes approximately 140 pounds of sugar every year. According to the latest estimates, 9 million children in the United States are obese, and this disturbing trend is repeating itself in other countries that embrace a Western diet and sedentary lifestyle.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that merits serious solutions. Parents need to recognize that in the overwhelming majority of cases, poor lifestyle practices create obesity in their child (ren), which means it will take a commitment by you and the entire family to help change those unhealthy behaviors. Let's take a quick look at the scope of this ever-growing problem, some of the primary causes, and what we can all do about it. Here's how to help your child avoid growing up fat.

A Global Epidemic

The World Health Organization considers obesity to be one of the most common nutritional disorders in developed countries and one of the most common chronic illnesses in the Western world, and for good reason: There has been a more than 400 percent increase in the number of obese children since 1982, and up to a third of all children are considered significantly overweight. Recent research suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes and 60 percent of obese children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease.Maintaining an appropriate weight does a whole lot more than help you feel and look better; it also helps you live longer.

The impact of obesity on a child's health is alarming. Various studies have linked childhood obesity to the following serious illnesses:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Sleep apnea
• Asthma
• Insulin resistance
• Diabetes
• Menstrual irregularities
• Mental health disorders (depression, low self-esteem)

Even worse is the tendency of childhood obesity to continue into adulthood. A recent study found that 77 percent of children with a body mass index greater than the 95th percentile remained obese as adults.

Planting the Seeds of Obesity

While childhood obesity cannot be attributed to any one particular influence, studies have shown that there are several modifiable factors:

• Inadequate physical activity - a lack of regular exercise, exacerbated by decreased PE and recess time, particularly in parts of the U.S. and Canada.
• Sedentary behavior - spending the majority of time watching TV, surfing the Web and playing video games.
• Poor eating habits - overconsumption of high-calorie foods and unhealthy eating patterns, such as eating when not really hungry, eating while watching TV or doing homework, etc.
• Unhealthy Environment - overexposure to advertisements that promote high-calorie foods; lack of opportunity for physical activity (e.g., parents not home from work until after dark, limiting or eliminating the opportunity for family or supervised exercise/activities).

These factors are all easily modified when parents recognize how influential they are in these areas, both directly and indirectly. For example, a parent has direct influence by providing an environment that nurtures physical activity and good eating habits in their child(ren), and has indirect influence through modeling - leading by example. Here's an easy success principle to remember: If your child is not active, find a physical activity to do with them. Studies have shown that children 4 to 7 years of age whose parents are physically active are six times more likely to be active than children in the same age group whose parents are inactive.