Over the past 30 years，the rate of obesity in the United States has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents，and it has more than tripled for children ages 6 to 11.

    在過去的30年中，美國學前兒童和青少年患肥胖癥的比例翻了不只一番，6到11歲的兒童超過了3倍。

    Obese children get a hard start on health problems such as diabetes and heart disease，often carrying these problems into an obese adulthood. If this trend continues，obesity may soon top smoking as the nation's most preventable cause of death.

    患肥胖癥的兒童已開始健康狀況就不容樂觀，容易患糖尿病或心臟疾病。通常這些問題可以一直延續到他們肥胖的成人時期。如果這一趨勢持續下去，肥胖癥可能將會超過吸煙而成為美國最可預防的導致死亡的因素。

    The reasons for a child's obesity are complex. But the most common factors combine too much screen time - including television，computers and video games - with too much junk food. And the best solution is to reduce your entire family's intake of both.

    兒童罹患肥胖癥的原因比較復雜。但是最普通的因素是太長時間面對顯示屏，像電視、電腦、電視游戲等，和過多攝入垃圾食品。最好的解決辦法是減少你整個家庭在這兩方面的投入。

    Good for everyone

    對每個人都有好處

    Don't single out the overweight members of your family for lifestyle changes. Eating healthier foods and getting more exercise is good for everybody. Children tend to mimic their parents，so it pays to be a good role model. If you don't want your children eating french fries，don't eat them yourself. Play basketball with the kids after dinner，or take a family walk. Organize family outings that involve physical activity - such as bike riding，skating or hiking.

    不要僅僅讓你家庭成員中超重的成員改變生活方式。吃健康的食物和多做運動對誰都有好處。孩子易于效仿他們的父母，所以你得做好榜樣。如果你不想你的孩子吃炸薯條，那你自己也不要吃。飯后和孩子們一起玩籃球，或者一家人出去走走。組織一些有體育項目的家庭旅游，比如騎自行車，滑冰或者徒步旅行。

    Parents have control

    父母主導

    Parents are the ones who buy the food，cook the food and decide where food is eaten. Even small changes can make a big difference in your family's overall health.

    買食物的是父母，做飯的是父母，決定在哪吃飯的還是父母。即使是最小的孩子，他們也能從你全家的健康狀況得益。

    “When buying groceries，choose fruits and vegetables over convenience foods high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available. And never use food as a reward or punishment.

    在買食品的時候，挑一些水果和蔬菜，而不是那些高糖分、高脂肪的方便食品。一定要準備一些健康的零食，據不用食物作為獎勵或懲罰的手段。

    “Limit sweetened beverages，including those containing fruit juice. These drinks provide little nutrition in exchange for their high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier foods.

    限制加糖飲料，包括那些含有果汁的飲料。那些飲料除了提供高熱量外沒有太多的營養價值，并讓你的孩子感到很飽而不愿意吃健康的食物。

    “Select recipes and methods of cooking that are lower in fat. For example，bake chicken instead of frying it.

    選用低脂肪的烹飪方法和菜系。比如說，我們用烤雞兒不用炸雞。

    “Put colorful food on the table：green and yellow vegetables，fruits of various colors，and brown（whole-grain）breads. Limit white carbohydrates：rice，pasta，bleached bread and sugar（desserts）。

    選用色彩豐富的食物：綠的或者黃的蔬菜，不同顏色的水果，褐色的面包（全麥的）。減少含碳水化合物的白色食物，如米飯、意大利面、白面包或者是食糖（還有點心）。

    “Sit down together for family meals. Make it an event - a time to share news and tell stories. Eating in front of the television fosters mindless munching.

    全家坐在一起吃飯。可以將聚餐弄成一種分享新鮮事和講故事活動。在電視前面吃飯讓人漫不經心的咀嚼食物。

    “Limit your children's recreational screen time to fewer than two hours a day.

    把孩子面對顯示屏娛樂的時間限制在一天2小時以內。

    “During your child's physical exams，ask the doctor to show you the growth curves giving percentiles for height，weight，and body mass index（BMI）。These allow you to compare your child with the norms for age and sex.

    在孩子體檢時，向醫生索要顯示孩子體重和升高增長的百分比的成長曲線和體質指標（BMI）。通過這些數據你可以把你的孩子與同性別同年齡的孩子正常的身體情況進行對比。

    Don't make it a battle

    不要做過了

    Parents often must balance on a tightrope between giving too much and too little attention to their child's obesity. Because many overweight children already feel bad about themselves，you should make sure they know you love them unconditionally.

    父母通常必須在過于關注孩子的肥胖問題和關注不足之間找一個平衡點。因為往往很多超重的孩子自己應經對自己的體型感到不滿了，所以你應該讓他們知道無論怎么樣你都愛他們。

    Offer healthy food to your children，but don't force it on them. Avoid fad diets. In many cases，simply maintaining a child's present weight is good enough - providing the opportunity for the child to grow into his or her pounds.

    給他們提供健康的飲食，但不要強迫他們接受。避免流行的時尚食物。在很多的情況下，保持現在孩子的體質就足夠了，應該給他們機會讓他們長到他們適當的體重。

    Minorities at higher risk、

    少數民族的壓力更大

    Although the obesity rate has increased dramatically for all U.S. children，certain ethnic minorities - blacks，Hispanics and American Indians - have been experiencing the highest rates of increase. Nearly 25 percent of children in these ethnic groups are obese by medical standards.

    盡管所有的美國孩子肥胖癥發病率急劇增長，但某些特定的少數民族像黑人、西班牙人、印第安人等，他們的增長率一直是最高的。根據醫學標準，這些種族中大約有25%的兒童有肥胖癥。

    Poverty is another risk factor. Between 1986 and 1998，the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables increased substantially more than did the cost of carbonated drinks，meat，sweets and snacks. So it's literally cheaper to eat unhealthy foods.

    貧窮是導致肥胖癥的另一個原因。在1986年到1998年間，新鮮水果和蔬菜的價格增長明顯超過了碳酸飲料、肉、糖和零食的價格。所以吃不健康的食物顯然比較便宜。

    Improve school food

    提高學校的餐飲質量

    To help make ends meet，some schools have installed vending machines selling soft drinks and snacks. The schools typically receive a percentage of the sales from these machines. Parents can request that their local school boards require all food and beverages served or sold at school to meet accepted nutritional standards.

    為了平衡收支，一些學校在學校里安裝了出售軟飲料和零食的自動售貨機。學校一般都會從這些售貨機收出的食物中提成。家長可題要求當地的學校委員會命令所有的學校內售出的食品和飲料達到公認的營養標準。

    Parents also can advocate for daily physical education（PE）classes for all students. PE classes have been reduced or even eliminated in many schools because of budget constraints. Latchkey children often aren't allowed to play outside their homes until their parents get home，so exercise time at school is even more important.

    家長也可以要求開設所有的學生參加的每天的體育課程。由于經費緊張，很多學校已經壓縮甚至取消了體育課。孩子們經常都被鎖在家里，不能外出活動，一直到他們的父母回家。所以學校的體育鍛煉就尤為重要。

    Worth the time

    花時間是值得的

    Many families feel they don't have the time it takes to prepare healthier meals and exercise more. Shopping，cooking，sharing a meal and cleaning up do take longer than zipping into the drive-through lane at a fast-food restaurant.

    很多家庭都覺得他們沒有給孩子提供更加健康的食物和陪孩子鍛煉的時間。去商場買菜、做飯、一起吃飯和飯后洗涮肯定要比去一家快餐店的取食物的穿梭通道更花時間。

    But the dangers of childhood obesity are real，and they are starting to take a toll. Helping set your kids on the path to a healthy future is one of the most important things you can do for them. Your investment in time will pay big dividends throughout their entire lives.

    但是，孩子們面臨的肥胖癥的危機就在眼前，這些危機已經開始給他們造成了不良的影響。引領你的孩子走上一條通向未來的健康之路是你能為他們作的最重要的事情之一。你在這方面的時間投資會使他們獲益終生。