Recently，childhood obesity has become the greatest cause for concern.For children in year six obesity rates have increased at a significant pace—around 5% a year for the past decade—so that now one in three children are obese by the time they leave primary school.The rate of childhood mental illness is accelerating and is both a cause and a symptom of the obesity crisis.
Obesity is one of the most complex public health challenges that we face.It does not have a single cause.The reasons for it are wide-ranging.But above all，it is a social challenge.It is about education and social norms for eating and exercise.It is about how food companies formulate their products，how they are labelled and advertised，and how they are priced and displayed in shops.Work and school play a crucial role：more and more jobs are sedentary (久坐的) and lads are less and less likely to expend energy playing outdoors.The quality of our public spaces and transport systems makes an important difference too.
We argue for fresh thinking to challenge the assumption that issues like obesity are a " disease of the will" and to encourage more support for people to make healthier choices.Local authorities should be given new powers to stop fast-food outlets opening near schools，to prevent them from selling high-calorie products to schoolchildren，and to ban junk food advertising near the school gates.
We must remember that unhealthy behaviour today is costly tomorrow.Now is the time for more action and more investment—the quality and length of our children's lives depend on it.
What's the author's attitude towards childhood obesity?无全文翻译
肥胖是继吸烟后造成早期死亡的唯一最大原因。它导致多年的不健康生活，从而降低了人们的生活质量。它同时增加了许多身心健康问题，从心脏病到糖尿病，再到癌症和抑郁症。
最近，儿童肥胖已成为人们最关心的问题。在过去十年中，六岁儿童的肥胖率一直在快速增长——每年约为5%——以至于到现在，小学毕业的儿童已有三分之一是肥胖的。儿童精神疾病的发病率正在快速增长，它也是肥胖危机的原因和症状之一。
肥胖是我们面临的最复杂的公共健康挑战之一。其原因并不单一，而是多方面的。但最重要的是，这是全社会的共同挑战。它涉及饮食及运动的教育和社会规范。它是关于食品公司如何给产品配方、如何贴标签和打广告，商店如何定价和陈列的问题。工作单位和学校发挥着至关重要的作用：越来越多的工作需要久坐，孩子们在户外活动消耗能量的机会越来越少。我们的公共空间和交通系统的质量也起着重要作用。
我们主张以新思维来对认为肥胖只是“意志性疾病”之类的问题提出质疑，鼓励更多人支持，以使人们做出更健康的选择。地方当局应当被赋予新的权力，阻止在学校附近开设快餐店，防止其向小学生销售高热量食品，同时禁止校门口附近的垃圾食品广告。
我们必须谨记：今天的不健康行为会让你在明天付出高昂的代价。现在是时候采取更多行动和增加更多投入了——它们决定着我们孩子们的生活质量和寿命。