IntroductionOver the past three decades, rates of childhood obesity have increased precipitously. Between the 1980s and 2000s, the prevalence of obesity increased from 6.5% to 19.6% among children aged 6 to 11 and from 5.0% to 18.1% among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years x (National Center for Prevention and Health of Chronic Diseases Promotion, 2010). This condition is accompanied by many physical and psychological consequences for these children. There are two common positions in the debate over the causes of this disease. One belief about the cause of childhood obesity is that it is a matter of "personal responsibility" or, in the case of children, "parental responsibility." In other words, increasing rates of obesity are due to parents not limiting their children's access to "junk food" and telling them to go outside and play. An example of this lack of parental authority over their children's eating habits is Kayla, a 4-year-old who weighs 104 pounds. In this situation, the mother is unable to control the frequency and quantity of her child's eating habits (ABC News, 2008; Kofman, 2008; Yellin and Simons, 2007). The following is a brief overview detailing the model that blames childhood obesity on parents, along with a case study describing Kayla's condition and how it should be treated. Cause of Obesity Many factions believe that parents are responsible for the childhood obesity epidemic. Some researchers believe that parents may unintentionally encourage inappropriate weight gain in their children by using poor feeding methods (Clark, Goyder, Bissell, Blank, & Peters, 2007). Additionally, children may model their parents' behavior and therefore develop inappropriate behaviors...... middle of paper...... MFMER). (2010a). Childhood obesity: make weight loss a family affair. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/FL00058#Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). (2010b). Childhood obesity: treatments and medications. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugsNational Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2010). Childhood obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/Pillitteri, A. (2009). Maternal and child health nursing: caring for the family that produces and raises children (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Yellin, J. & Simons, L. (2007). Obesity reaches kindergarten: four-year-old Kayla's struggle with her weight. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Diet/story?id=2863420&page=1