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Above all else, parents and guardians should try to be good role models for their kids-eating healthfully, staying active, minimizing screen time, and living healthy lifestyles that children can internalize as they grow. Parents can also advocate for changes in our “toxic” food and activity environments, so that healthy choices are easy choices for all.

Institute of Medicine. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press; 2005.

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Parents can also create a home where being active daily is the norm: walking or biking with their kids to school; planning fun, active outings with family and friends; keeping TV and other screen time low; and simply encouraging kids to go out and play. And parents can make sure that kids regularly get enough sleep, since healthy sleep has been linked to healthy weight.

Institute of Medicine. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press; 2005.

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A primary reason that prevention of obesity is so vital in children is because the likelihood of childhood obesity persisting into adulthood increases as the child ages. This puts the person at high risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

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Parents and caregivers can help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education. Healthy meals and snacks provide nutrition for growing bodies while modeling healthy eating behavior and attitudes. Increased physical activity reduces health risks and helps weight management. Nutrition education helps young children develop an awareness of good nutrition and healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

Children can be encouraged to adopt healthy eating behaviors and be physically active when parents:

Focus on good health, not a certain weight goal. Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and physical activity without emphasizing body weight.
Focus on the family. Do not set overweight children apart. Involve the whole family and work to gradually change the family's physical activity and eating habits.
Establish daily meal and snack times, and eating together as frequently as possible. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available based on the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children. Determine what food is offered and when, and let the child decide whether and how much to eat.
Plan sensible portions. Use the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children as a guide.

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Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are likely associated with childhood obesity although the effect size may be small. Some prospective studies have found that more hours engaged in sedentary behavior, specifically watching TV or playing video games, was associated with an increased risk of becoming obese in the future; however, other studies found no association between sedentary behavior and childhood obesity. Increased screen time, including television and electronic devices, is also associated with childhood obesity.

Appelhans BM, Fitzpatrick SL, Li H, et al. The home environment and childhood obesity in low-income households: indirect effects via sleep duration and screen time. BMC public health. 2014;14(1):1160.

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Some specific eating behaviors have been associated with childhood obesity. Skipping breakfast,  eating meals away from home, especially fast food; quicker eating pace; larger portion sizes; and eating in the absence of hunger are all positively associated with childhood obesity. No consistent association has been identified with frequent snacking, while eating meals as a family is inversely associated with childhood obesity.
Davis MM, Gance-Cleveland B, Hassink S, Johnson R, Paradis G, Resnicow K. Recommendations for prevention of childhood obesity. Pediatrics. 2007;120(Suppl 4):S229–253.

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Environmental/Societal Risk Factors
The child's living environment, both in the home as well as in the community, can contribute to a higher risk of development of obesity:

Living in lower-income, predominantly white, or non-mixed-race neighborhoods.

Parents' perceptions of the food and physical activity environments in their neighborhoods

Difficulty getting to a main food store or difficulty purchasing fruits and vegetables there (food desert)

Increased distance from parks

Perceived danger of their neighborhood

Food insecurity, although the evidence is mixed.

Ohri-Vachaspati P, DeLia D, DeWeese RS, Crespo NC, Todd M, Yedidia MJ. The relative contribution of layers of the Social Ecological Model to childhood obesity. Public health nutrition. 2014:1–12.

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Studies show that kids preformance in school suffer. Kids who become overweight between kindergarten and third grade have lower math score, poor attendance, behavior problems, trouble with reading, and lower test scores.

Hollar, D., Messiah, S. E., Lopez-Mitnik, G., Hollar, T. L., Almon, M., & Agatston, A. S. (2010). Effect of a Two-Year Obesity Prevention Intervention on Percentile Changes in Body Mass Index and Academic Performance in Low-Income Elementary School Children. American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 646–653. https://doi-org.frccwc.idm.oclc.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.165746

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Childhood obesity increases the risk of developing diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, depression, orthopedic problems and respiratory ailments.
https://go-gale-com.frccwc.idm.oclc.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Journals&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA297135690&docType=Report&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZXAY-MOD1&prodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CA297135690&searchId=R1&userGroupName=west59484&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=1

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A study found that at the end of first grade, 14% of school lunch eaters are obese, compared to the 11% brown bag lunchers.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.frccwc.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=0a96f74c-6c8f-4d64-aa57-632d6aa96713%40sdc-v-sessmgr03

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More than 95% of American kids between the ages of 5 and 17 are enrolled in school. Kids spend more time at school than any other environment outside the home. Kids consume 1/3 to 1/2 of their daily calorie allowance while at school.

STORY, M., NANNEY, M. S., & SCHWARTZ, M. B. (2009). Schools and Obesity Prevention: Creating School Environments and Policies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. Milbank Quarterly, 87(1), 71–100. https://doi-org.frccwc.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00548.x

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The desired behaviours targeted by interventions typically include:
• increased fruit and vegetable consumption;
• reduced consumption of beverages high in sugar (e.g. “soft” drinks);
• reduced consumption of foods high in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar;

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In 2013, the majority (64.6%) of children in Colorado were at a healthy weight,
however 26.5% were overweight or obese and 9% were underweight.