Washington Post series examines childhood obesity

An "epidemic of obesity" is "compromising the lives of millions of American children" and is "expected to add billions of dollars to the U.S. health care bill," the Washington Post reports.

The article is part of a weeklong Post series, titled "Young Lives At Risk: Our Overweight Children," that is examining the causes of childhood obesity, its impact and possible ways to rectify the situation.

The Post reports that "being overweight at a young age appears to be far more destructive to well-being than adding excess pounds later in life." According to the Post, about one in three children in the U.S. is overweight, which could put the "future health and productivity of an entire generation -- and a nation" in "jeopardy."

A study by the research company Thomson Reuters found that treating an obese child is more costly that treating an average-weight child and that overweight children visit emergency departments more frequently and are two to three times more likely to be hospitalized. The company estimated that the overall cost of care for overweight youths is $14 billion annually. The study concluded that "demand for ER visits, inpatient hospitalizations and outpatient visits is expected to rise dramatically."

The Post reports that the "economic calculations will climb higher," noting that "[n]o one has yet looked ahead 30 years to project this group's long-term disability and lost earnings." However, "based on research on the current work force, which has shown tens of millions of workdays missed annually, indirect costs will also be enormous," according to the Post (Levine/Stein, Washington Post, 5/17).

Post staff writers Susan Levine and Rick Stein discussed the series on Monday in a washigntonpost.com online chat (Levine/Stein, washingtonpost.com, 5/19).