My last column addressed the issue of childhood inactivity. I focused on the fact that all children need a minimum of 60 minutes per day of physical activity, regardless of weight. Of course, for many children, inactivity is a precursor to childhood obesity.

Much attention has been given to the obesity epidemic in America, for young and old. Statistically, two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.

Worldwide, there are now approximately 22 million children younger than 5 who are overweight. During the last 30 years, the number of overweight children in the United States has more than doubled.

Several recent studies suggest our youngsters will face significant health issues in the future unless we stem the tide of childhood obesity. Research confirms that obesity increases the risk for cancer, heart, kidney and respiratory diseases; and has caused an unprecedented rise in type 2 diabetes.

One of the most disheartening outcomes we are seeing as a result of childhood obesity is the change in life expectancy for our country's children.

A 2005 study published in the American Journal of Public Health said, "Unless current trends reverse, it seems likely that one-third of all children born today — and even higher proportions of Hispanic and black children — will develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime and can expect shortened life expectancy because of it."

Another 2005 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that, given the current health trends, today's young people are not expected to outlive their parents for the first time in U.S. history.

"The tsunami of childhood obesity has not yet hit the shore — it takes many years for complications to develop," David S. Ludwig, obesity researcher at the Children's Hospital of Boston, told ScienceDaily.com. "If the clock starts ticking at age 12 or 14, the consequences to public health are potentially disastrous — imagine heart attack or kidney failure becoming a relatively common condition of young adulthood."

In light of the health-care debate that rages on, we need to realize intervention on behalf of our children must occur. Otherwise, the eventual drain on our health dollars will be far beyond our comprehension and the human suffering will be immeasurable.

Let's do all we can to act in the best interests of our children's health, for today and their future.

— Craig Hayward is chairman of the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at Spring Arbor University.