Introduction Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have increased precipitously. Between the years 1980 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity increased from 6.5% to 19.6% among children ages 6 to 11 and from 5.0% to 18.1% among adolescents ages 12 to 19 years old x(National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health) Promotion, 2010). This condition is accompanied by many physical and psychological consequences for these children. There are two common positions in the debate on the causes of this condition. One hypothesis about the cause of childhood obesity is that it is a matter of “personal responsibility” or, in the case of children, “parental responsibility”. That is, rising obesity rates are due to parents' failure to limit their children's access to "junk food" and tell them to go play outside. An example of this lack of parental authority over their children's eating habits is Kayla, a 4-year-old girl who weighs 104 pounds. In this situation, his mother was unable to control the frequency and quantity of the child's eating habits (ABC News, 2008; Kofman, 2008; Yellin, & Simons, 2007). The following is a brief overview detailing the model that places blame for childhood obesity on parents, and a case study describing Kayla's condition and how it should be addressed. Cause of Obesity There are many factions that 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 improper feeding patterns (Clark, Goyder, Bissell, Blank, & Peters, 2007). Furthermore, children may model their parents' behavior and thus develop inappropriate behavior... middle of paper... MFMER). (2010a). Childhood obesity: Making 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: Care of the childbearing and nurturing family (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Yellin, J. & Simons, L. (2007). Obesity reaches kindergarten: Four-year-old Kayla's battle with her weight. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Diet/story?id=2863420&page=1