Literature ReviewDescription of the Obesity ProblemChildhood obesity is a growing problem here in the United States. According to Schuab and Marian (2011) “Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions” (P.553). The prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight has increased over the past 30 years throughout the United States, becoming a major public health challenge (Moreno, Johnson-Shelton, & Boles, 2013). The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the obesity epidemic, a review of current policy, and make a policy recommendation. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approximately “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese” (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157). “Surveys conducted in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 show that the prevalence of obesity changed from 6.5% to 19.6% among children aged 6 to 11 years and from 5.0% to 18.1% for those aged between 12 and 19 (Moreno et al. al., 2013 P.157). The health of the nation's youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports showing increased average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and increases in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Aquila et al. (2010) Attribute worsening health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased time spent in front of the TV and computer, and there is also a growing appreciation for a hereditary basis of childhood obesity” ( P.1185). Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) account for an average of 159 calories per day and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar per day (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...... middle of paper ......adding, Writing, and Obesity America's Failing Grade in School Nutrition and Physical Education. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 26(5), 553–564. doi:10.1177/0884533611416820Taber DR, Chriqui JF, Powell L, and Chaloupka FJ. (2013). Association between state laws regulating the nutritional content of school meals and student weight status: Implications for new USDA school meal standards. JAMA Pediatrics, 167(6), 513–519. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.399 Tanaka, N., & Miyoshi, M. (2012). School lunch program for health promotion among children in Japan. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 21(1), 155–158.Williamson, D.A., Han, H., Johnson, W.D., Martin, C.K., & Newton, R.L. (2013). Changing the school lunch environment can impact child nutrition. Results of the Wise Mind and LA Health studies. Appetite, 61, 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.002