Published: January 1, 1991

Unpleasantly Plump

These distressing trends, the AAU study states, are the result of the "increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unbalanced nutritional habits of American youngsters.'' As Boehm notes, "Kids have lots of opportunities to do other things besides play and exercise.''

Michael Willett, program manager of the AAU study, points out that video games offer children the excitement and competition of sports without the physical exertion. He also notes that socioeconomic factors hamper many kids' fitness. Some families can afford to join health clubs, he says, but children whose families can't either don't exercise or, because of rising neighborhood crime, take risks to do so. Many children, he adds, don't even walk to school anymore because of busing.

Health experts also place a good share of the blame for overweight children on television. Nielsen Media Research reports that, on average, children between the ages of 2 and 5 currently watch 27 hours of television a week. The AAP advises parents to reduce their children's viewing...