Family time and physical activity

I hope this long beautiful weekend has found everyone happy, safe and active. Childhood obesity is a crisis in the United States. Busy lifestyles and single parent homes contribute to a rise in sedetary, unhealthy children. Here are a few facts. There is alarming increase in the number of children and adolescents developing Type-2 Diabetes (also termed as adult-onset diabetes) due to being overweight. The high levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure, that are some of the main risk factors for development of heart diseases, are found in most of the obese children. Sleep Apnea (interruption of breath while sleeping) is considered as the most severe problem faced by obese children.  In rare cases, this sleep apnea may lead to other problems like difficulty in learning and memory. Obese children are on higher risk of developing, liver diseases, orthopedic problems and asthma. More than 70% obese adolescents retain their overweight and obese condition even during their adulthood. I hope your holiday weekend finds you happy and healthy. Lola