Obesity is a problem for people in the United States. Also worrisome is the number of young people who are obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one in three children and adolescents are overweight or obese in this country. The CDC defines obesity in youths as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile of the BMI-for-age growth charts. A person’s BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of his/her height in meters.
There are a number of health problems associated with childhood obesity. They include: