The problem is that obesity increases risk for all sorts of conditions: heart disease, arthritis, type-2 diabetes and all the problems that that brings on (neur

The problem is that obesity increases risk for all sorts of conditions: heart disease, arthritis, type-2 diabetes and all the problems that that brings on (neuropathy, retinal degeneration, kidney failure), nevermind the stigma from being too fat. And so on. It's easy to say that it's the parents' fault that their children are overweight, but everyone else gets to deal with the fallout. With childhood obesity rates approaching 30 % in places, the extra burden on the medical system is staggering. Horace was very much to the point when he said it's your problem when the neighbour's apartment is on fire.