Obesity is an epidemic in America, impacting young people, the healthcare system, and economically vulnerable populations. Among all the high-income countries in the world, obesity rates remain the highest in the United States. According to Harvard, obesity rates in the United States have more than doubled since 1980, although they have remained unchanged since 2003. (Harvard School of Public Health) Approximately 31.9% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years are obese or overweight (NPLAN ), while approximately 69% of adults fall into the overweight or obese category. (Harvard School of Public Health) With such high obesity rates, America faces a huge crisis that could worsen in the future. To understand the obesity problem in America it is important to evaluate the extent to which the problem affects large populations of children and adults and how the fast food industry has been a major cause of this epidemic. Approximately nine million children are obese among those over the age of six. (Alderman, Jess, et al.) To diagnose a child with obesity, it is necessary to calculate the child's body mass index (BMI). The child's BMI, calculated from weight and height, is compared to that of children of the same sex and age across the country on a specific chart. A child is considered obese if he or she has a BMI greater than 95% of the population. Since 1980, the number of overweight children has multiplied, and among adolescents, the number has nearly tripled, which will certainly increase the likelihood of health problems leading into adolescents and adulthood. Children "are gaining weight at a dangerous level and at an alarming rate" regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, or geographic location... center of paper... Web. March 11, 2014.Harvard School of Public Health. "Adult obesity". Harvard School of Public Health. Harvard College President and Fellows, 2014. Web. March 8, 2014. National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN). “Model Ordinance on Healthy Food Zone.” PLAN. Np, nd Web. January 14, 2014. NBC News Dateline. “Dirty meal?” NBC News. NBC News, 2014. Web. February 21, 2014. Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Fast Facts: Economic Costs of Obesity.” F is for Fat. Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014. Web. March 11, 2014. Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation "Interactive: Adult Obesity in the United States, 1990-2012." F is for Fat. Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014. Web. March 10. 2014.