Yahoo! News - Kids Need Help Staying Slim, Congress Told
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Schools may need more money and regulators may need more authority to help America's children from spiraling into obesity, experts and politicians told Congress on Tuesday.

Children need help to get away from television and video games and outside to walk, play and exercise, they said. And corporations can help with programs aimed at educating kids about good nutrition and exercise, they added.

More than 9 million U.S. children are obese, meaning their health is at serious risk. Another 15 percent of all children are overweight. Not only do they risk being fat all their lives, doctors say, but they have a higher than average risk of heart disease and diabetes.

"This generation of kids growing up today could be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents," Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin told the committee hearing.

Speaking of the parents...will they be held accountable? While I would like to see "healthier" processed food (i.e. less sugar and carbs) in the stores and the schools, I wonder if you could charge a parent with child abuse if their kid is obese. Are we headed in the direction of the government managing our health for us?