As the head physician at Salerno Medical Associates in East Orange, New Jersey, Dr. Alexander Salerno provides primary care services to a diverse urban population. Through patient education and integrated care, Dr. Alexander Salerno strives to improve the overall health of underserved communities.

1. RISK FACTORS FOR
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Alexander Salerno

2. Introduction
 As the head physician at Salerno Medical Associates in East
Orange, New Jersey, Dr. Alexander Salerno provides primary
care services to a diverse urban population. Through patient
education and integrated care, Dr. Alexander Salerno strives
to improve the overall health of underserved communities.
Childhood obesity is an increasingly urgent health problem in
the United States today. It occurs when a child's weight far
exceeds the normal range for his or her height and age, and
it stems from a complex interaction of factors. A child's family
medical history may be a factor, although individual lifestyle
choices and societal influences also play critical roles.
Recent statistics show that if both of a child's parents are
overweight, then that child will have an 80 percent chance of
becoming obese.

3. Childhood Obesity
 The chance is reduced to just 10 percent if a child's parents weigh
within the expected normal range. However, this relationship may
stem from family norms as well as simple genetics. If parents fail to
encourage regular exercise and allow their children to eat
processed and sugary foods, those children may be at an increased
risk of becoming obese.
Families have an even more difficult job enforcing healthy eating
habits when advertising messages promote high-calorie, salty, and
fatty foods. Furthermore, many children live in communities where
such foods are much more accessible than fresh produce, lean
meats, and other healthy choices. These same communities often
have little access to open places where children can run, and this in
turn encourages a more sedentary lifestyle. It is the responsibility of
the whole community to ensure that children have the resources
they need to be healthy and to maintain an appropriate weight, so
their long-term health does not suffer.