Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities can do to Control the Fatness Epidemic.

One out of three children in the United States is either overweight or at serious risk of becoming so. The number of overweight children ages 6 to 19 has tripled within 3 decades. Dalton, a nutritionist at New York University, uses these statistics to open her story of obesity in U.S. children. She first considers the risk to low-income families that eat fast food at the expense of fresh, nutritious meals. She then looks at how the loss of recess and physical education in schools contributes to weight gain in children and unhealthy habits later in life. This is leading to a surge in type 2 diabetes and other health problems. Dalton calls on communities, not just parents and schools, to address the problem and begin to transform what and how much they eat, as well as increase activity levels. Dalton's approach harks back to the lifestyle and diet of past generations that weren't hooked on soft drinks and oversize portions of calorie-laden foods. She warns that this country's obesity problem will manifest itself in years to come as overweight children move into adulthood and public health declines even further. U CA Pr, 2004, 292 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95.