The Blubber Years

By David Bjerklie

Children can develop weight problems at any age, but there are periods when kids are especially vulnerable. One, it's now clear, is the transition from teen years to young adulthood. Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health presented last week revealed that in the five years from 1996 to 2001, about 2 million young Americans joined the ranks of the clinically obese. --By David Bjerklie