Generation Obese is symbolic to the current generation increase in the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in America. Childhood obesity around the world, particularly in the United States, is an escalating problem that has received much attention lately. Government officials are becoming more and more concerned for the nation's health. Now recognized as a public health crisis, the sweeping notion of obesity has been coined as the bubonic plague of the 21st century. Obesity is huge problem in the United States, Americans are grossly overweight, not only adults but also children.
Childhood obesity often tracks adulthood: obese children are very likely to be obese adults. Obesity primarily in children is an important issue because of the staggering proportions that it has reached in the past few years. Generation obese is the first generation in modern history to see a shorter life- expectancy than their parents. Statistics shows that one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Even a scarier statistic, obesity rates for children have doubled and quadrupled in adolescents over the last 30 years. In states like South Carolina, the burden of obesity poses threats on the well being of children and adolescents of this generation. South Carolina has the third highest obesity rate in children in the United States. Currently, 39.2 % of youth in South Carolina are overweight or obese. Evidence from many studies indicates that childhood obesity contributes to the early development to a number of conditions (type-2 diabetes, atherosclerotic heart diseases and high blood pressure); moreover obesity affects normal childhood development and the quality of life. .
Experts, use Dr. Bill Hettler's 1976 Dimensions of Wellness Theory, when evaluating the quality of an individual's life. According to Dr. Hettler, wellness is much more than merely physical health, exercise or nutrition.
