L A N C A S T E R M E D I C A L S O C I E T Y.O R G FOCUS ON CHILDREN'S HEALTH Healthy Communities Childhood Obesity C EMILY MILLER, MD, AND CAITLIN WHITE, MD Lancaster General Health Family Medicine Residency Program hildhood obesity remains a rising public health concern. Articles on pediatric obesity have graced the covers of popular newspapers and magazines and appeared in medical journals in increasing numbers. Yet the number of children who are overweight or obese continues to increase as they grow up, indicating the need for further attention from clinicians and parents alike. Based on data gathered by the CDC nationwide, approximately 9 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were obese in 2014 in comparison to over 20 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds. The prevalence is higher among Hispanic or non-Hispanic blacks and among children from low-income families. In Pennsylvania, from 2009 - 2015 the percentage of obese high school students went from 11.7 percent to 14 percent. The number of obese children ages 2 - 4 years old went from 11.6 percent to 12.9 percent from 2008 - 2014. Pediatric obesity has lifelong consequences and thus deserves our attention as clinicians. LANCASTER 14 PHYSICIAN