Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity has become an international epidemic and gained a lot of scientific research in last few decades. Statistics showed that the percentage of overweight children has increased by about 20% in the last decade in western countries. This essay will shed light on some of the causes and possible solutions of this problem. The single most important cause of childhood obesity is lack of physical activity. Children nowadays are leading a sedentary lifestyle; spending many hours a day sitting at home watching TV or playing video games. Moreover, schools do not paying much attention to body exercise lessons. This sedentary lifestyle will prevent children from burning fat from their bodies and will lead to putting on more weight. Perhaps, the second most important cause of obesity in children is the unhealthy food habits. Many parents now have busy work schedules, which will make it difficult for them to cook food at home daily and will compel them towards increased consumption of fast food. This type of food is high in lipids and is lacking essential vitamins and minerals. Moreover, relying on fast food will make the family pay less attention to vegetables and fruits, this, further increases the deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Childhood obesity has detrimental impact on the physical and emotional wellbeing of children. Research in the field of obesity proved that obesity leads to increased lipids in blood - cholesterol in particular - and increases the incidence of hypertension and diabetes. These problems collectively will increase the liability for children to serious heart and brain diseases. Moreover, it was found that obesity restricts children’s mobility and physical activity with a consequent increase in weight, creating a vicious circle. Regarding the emotional wellbeing of children, obesity has a direct negative effect on children's self-esteem with the consequent susceptibility to depression and anxiety. In conclusion, childhood obesity had become a real challenge and a serious problem facing our modern society. It has a detrimental impact on the health of our children both physically and emotionally.