OBESITY IN AMERICA

CBS) In its "Where America Stands" series, CBS News is looking at a broad spectrum of issues facing this country in the new decade.

The evidence of an epidemic is everywhere.


•Two-thirds, more than 190 million Americans are overweight or obese.


•Obesity-related diseases are a $147 billion dollar medical burden every year.


•Childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years.

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As CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports, this could be the first generation since the Civil War to have a shortened life expectancy.

The Problem

To gauge the problem, a team of doctors and cardiologists from Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital set up a MASH unit of sorts in a middle school gym, where they run a battery of tests on 97 seemingly healthy children.

But the results reveal an alarming reality here: three out of every four children are either overweight or obese.

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That means about seventy of the children are on a high-risk trajectory for coronary artery disease by their 30's and 40's.

Doctor Joshua Samuels treats kids with blood pressure levels of an unhealthy adult. Back at his clinic, 11-year-old Wesley Randall has dangerously high blood pressure, and is 60 pounds overweight.

"I just eat," Wesley said, "to solve my problems."

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"A few years down the road these are the people who are going to be flooding into our hospitals and emergency rooms," said Dr. Samuels.

Fifteen-year-old Emily Allen is trying to avoid just that. "What I look like now, she said, "it upsets me."

The Hudson, Michigan teen was healthy at age five. But by age ten, she could no longer fit into kids clothing. She became obese.

"I just feel guilty," she said, "that I couldn't change earlier."

On doctor's orders, Emily joined a weight loss program called "m-power" at the University of Michigan. She's already lost 26 pounds, thanks, in part, to support from other teens.

Other teens, like Amber Bell, who is in an even scarier life or death struggle. She's shed 50 pounds, but still weighs nearly 400 lbs.

"What made you say, 'I'm going to make a change here,'" Doane asked.

"I didn't want my parents to feel like I was a failure and I wanted to have friends," Amber replied.