Is There A Way to Stop Childhood Obesity?

Is there a way to stop or prevent childhood obesity? It's very discouraging to read about how our children are barraged with advertisements for junk food. They have limited opportunities for playing outside and for physical education.

As a society, we are seeing what is happening to us all. I can't help but believe that television was the start of our downfall and that it has caused health to spiral downward ever since its growing appeal in the 1950s. People stopped playing outside as much and even in my lifetime, children's abilities to just get out and play have dropped 500%. I used to be able to ride my bike, away from home, for hours and hours every day. My children now never leave my sight.

Am I being too overprotective, given the sensational headlines about kidnapping and sexual offenders? Have any of you read the novel, Little Children, and seen how the author Tom Perrotta works this in to great effect in the story of "typical" suburban family life? The characters, like most of us, are horrified when a convicted child molester moves back into their neighborhood. This affects the day-to-day lives of the people in the fictional town in a big way. Just the thought of it affects how we let the children play here every day.

I'm not sure what the answers are, but we need to make some hard choices to ensure the health of our children and grandchildren.