Re: Obesity
I think moderation is the key. You can't completely ban t.v. and video games. But as a parent you can moniter and limit them. Parents need to be more active in their kid's lives. Many families don't eat together anymore and snacks are readily available within a child's reach. Some of my younger cousins had both parents working full-time and would come home from school by themselves. They'd snack on junk as soon as they got home, watch t.v., then order a pizza since their parents would come home 7pm or so. So all 3 of the kids are quite overweight, not just chubby.
When I was their age i remember being outside with my friends playing jump rope and I was involved in gymnastics for many years as well. Ofcourse I watched t.v. but I would have much rather been in the backyard kicking a soccer ball with my brothers. So it's not only food intake and calories burned, but some genetics and number of fat cells in a person's body. I've also read that breastfed babies have a lower incidence of obesity. Although I haven't read any studies that clearly prove that formula fed babies are fatter, it might be a start in building the number of fat cells in a baby's body?