Key findings from are:

·         One in four youth ages 12-18 is overweight.

·         One in five children ages 5-11 is overweight.

·         One in eight pre-school children ages 2-4 is overweight.

·         The prevalence of childhood obesity has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past two decades.

·         It’s estimated that obesity-related medical expenses in North Carolina cost the taxpayers more than $2.1 billion a year.

·         Recent research suggest that if childhood obesity continues to increase, it could cut two to five years from the average lifespan causing our current generation of children to become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.

These findings mean we have more diabetes, more heart disease and strokes, not to mention the quality of life issues, depression, social stigma and ostracizing of obese people in our society. This is particularly true for children, who suffer from bullying and teasing in school, depression, low self-esteem – these all impact that child’s ability to succeed in school and in life.

Some findings find that poverty is the main cause of obesity in the South,  because poor families stretch their budgets by buying cheaper, processed foods that have higher fat content and lower nutritional value.