Overweight children and adolescents have significantly increased during the past decade. There are times during childhood and adolescence where one is more susceptible to weight gain, but these times also offer prevention opportunities for obesity.
Arthritis is typically associated as an old person’s health problem, so doctors and other health practitioners often do not expect that obese children might face the same painful experience. Consequently, arthritis symptoms frequently are not treated promptly because they are most likely not accurately diagnosed until the pain becomes severe.
Childhood obesity in America has been described by many, including the U.S. Surgeon General, as an epidemic. Over 15 percent of children are overweight, an increase of 9 percent since the 1960′s. But what are the consequences of this national problem? How will it affect the next generation, and how can we stop it?
