By Dan Glickman, Ann M. Veneman, Donna E. Shalala and Mike Leavitt

The Hill

June 5, 2012

One-third of Americans are obese, while two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. And the problem is only getting worse in younger generations — by age 5, 20 percent of American youths are overweight or obese. The percentage of obese adults in the United States is expected to reach 42 percent by 2030.

One-third of Americans are obese, while two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. And the problem is only getting worse in younger generations — by age 5, 20 percent of American youths are overweight or obese. The percentage of obese adults in the United States is expected to reach 42 percent by 2030.

The obesity crisis is developing alongside the related epidemic of chronic disease. More than 20 million Americans have diabetes, and 79 million are pre-diabetic — a ticking time bomb. Shockingly, our children will be the first American generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents’, due in large part to obesity.

Read the full op-ed here

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Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative