Does Television Cause Childhood Obesity?

The United States is experiencing an epidemic of childhood obesity. Although recent studies have documented rapidly increasing overweight among US children and adolescents,¹ there are few effective tools to combat this problem. Most available weight-control treatments yield only modest, unsustained effects. Similarly, with a few exceptions, prevention programs targeting diet and activity changes have been relatively ineffective at altering body fatness.² As a result, there is a pressing need for innovative intervention approaches.