It's a scary feeling to climb a single flight of stairs to the top and be completely out of breath. In America today, this is the reality many children face. Obesity has become an epidemic in our world, it is caused by many factors and affects learning abilities, but there are preventive methods. Although little is done to combat obesity, it affects the lives of many children due to a multitude of different factors. The growing number of obese children has reached an alarming rate. For many Americans, “…”obesity”…has the connotation of being extremely overweight. [But] health professionals define overweight as excess body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water; whereas obesity is specifically defined as excess body fat” (Andrews 1). More often than not, we tend to change our definitions and make false pretenses. Although there are many health threats worldwide today, “…childhood obesity (is) one of the leading health threats in the United States” (2). Even statistics show that obesity is becoming an epidemic. In fact, “since the 1970s, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among preschoolers and adolescents and more than tripled among school-age children” (1). With the numbers rising, people are wondering if there are other causes of obesity. Through tests and observations, it was found that obesity can be caused by other factors. Many scientists “…believe that there are other causes of the obesity epidemic than excessive consumption of French fries…” (Belluz 1). Eating habits can contribute to obesity, but they are not the only factor at play in the larger picture. For example, "[p]ollutants, such as DDE, are believed to...... middle of paper... and are not the ones that are breathless." Works Cited Andrews, Shirley P. and Stan Andrews. “The pleasure of fitness for everyone: games and classroom activities to support reading and mathematics. » Childhood Education 2009: 97. Beebe, Ginger and Joe Thompson. “The problem of childhood obesity.” Arkansas Business 2010: 7. Belluz, Julia. "Born to be fat: Does prenatal exposure to chemicals called 'obesogens' help explain the obesity epidemic?". Maclean's November 8, 2010: 89.DeSantis, Cari. “On childhood obesity.” Policies and Practices 2010: 3 “Move it. » Current Events, a weekly reader publication, October 25, 2010: 6. "Doctors' group urges schools to go vegetarian." » American School & University 2010. 5.Skolnik, Neil S. and Mackenzie Mady. “Clinical guidelines for family physicians: screening children and adolescents for obesity ». 2010:49.