--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Overall, our population is in the worst…" description: "\"Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever been. Children are in terrible shape. We have absolutely unprecedented numbers of obese and ove..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/neal-barnard-16766_children_overall-our-population-is-in-the-worst-s_516400.jpg" --- # Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever… ![“Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever been. Children are in terrible shape. We have absolutely unprecedented numbers of obese and overweight children - one in three now. A generation ago it was something like one in ten.” quote by Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/neal-barnard-16766_children_overall-our-population-is-in-the-worst-s_516400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/neal-barnard-16766_children_overall-our-population-is-in-the-worst-s_516400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/neal-barnard-16766_children_overall-our-population-is-in-the-worst-s_516400.jpg) > “Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever been. Children are in terrible shape. We have absolutely unprecedented numbers of obese and overweight children - one in three now. A generation ago it was something like one in ten.” [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The health of the population, especially children, is deteriorating with rising obesity rates, indicating a crisis in nutrition and lifestyle. **In simple terms:** Children’s health is worsening due to obesity. Key Takeaway Address diet and activity early. Themes health nutrition children obesity public policy Mood concerned urgent Type warning informative When to use this quote - schools - family meals - government programs - community initiatives Key Concepts epidemiology behavioral health societal trends Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce child obesity? - How can families promote healthier habits? A Different Perspective Complex causes include socioeconomic factors and food industry influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Numbers Obese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers-obese-4364738/) [Obese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obese/) [Obese Overweight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obese-overweight-4364739/) [Overweight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overweight/) [Overweight Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overweight-children-4322370/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [Population Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population-worst-4364740/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprecedented/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) ## Related quotes > [Can you believe approximately 17 percent of American children ages 2 to 19 years are obese? How about this fact: approximately 60 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sweeney/can-you-believe-approximately-17-percent-of-american-children-ages-2/) [Alison Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sweeney/) > [“In many cases, NAFLD is linked to being obese or overweight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-many-cases-nafld-is-linked-to-being-obese-or-overweight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Very often, overweight children have parents who are struggling with weight issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/very-often-overweight-children-have-parents-who-are-struggling-with/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [An estimated 17.6 MILLION overweight children under 5 are considered obese! The time for change is NOW!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-estimated-17-6-million-overweight-children-under-5-are-considered/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the number of overweight adult Americans increased over 60 percent between 1991 and 2000. According to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/the-centers-for-disease-control-cdc-reports-that-the-number-of/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [“Many obese people spend a significant amount of their energy on suppressing the urge to tell some of the people who are staring at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-obese-people-spend-a-significant-amount-of-their-energy-on/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [A recent survey or North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese and 8% ate the survey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/a-recent-survey-or-north-american-males-found-42-were-overweight-34/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [Here we have the great irony of modern nutrition: at a time when hundreds of millions of people do not have enough to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/here-we-have-the-great-irony-of-modern-nutrition-at-a-time-when/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [“One of the leading causes of obesity is the misbelief that, when it comes to juice, ‘100%’ means ‘sugar-free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/one-of-the-leading-causes-of-obesity-is-the-misbelief-that-when-it/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“More often than not, expecting to lose weight without first losing the diet that made the weight loss necessary is like expecting a pig…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/more-often-than-not-expecting-to-lose-weight-without-first-losing-the/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [There are now more obese people in the United States than there are overweight people. I think it's safe to say that after all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/there-are-now-more-obese-people-in-the-united-states-than-there-are/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [That we need help is easy to see every time we walk down the street. The experts confirm what the obscured view in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-schweitzer/that-we-need-help-is-easy-to-see-every-time-we-walk-down-the-street/) [Jeff Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-schweitzer/) > [If you eat good ingredients, and moderately, it should not be a problem. If you look at the bakers over the years, how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/if-you-eat-good-ingredients-and-moderately-it-should-not-be-a-problem/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [Kids who don't play are not just at greater risk of falling behind academically, but also of becoming overweight or obese, failing to integrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darell-hammond/kids-who-don-t-play-are-not-just-at-greater-risk-of-falling-behind/) [Darell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darell-hammond/) > [“He who makes fun of a short and fat man’s weight is much less cruel than he who makes fun of his height.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/he-who-makes-fun-of-a-short-and-fat-man-s-weight-is-much-less-cruel/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Neal Barnard > [If we studied human beings which can include human genes, human blood samples, and human behavior, then you can leave the animals out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-we-studied-human-beings-which-can-include-human-genes-human-blood/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [If some people think, "Why am I eating a dead bird soaked in poop?" I think if some people get disgusted by that, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-some-people-think-why-am-i-eating-a-dead-bird-soaked-in-poop-i/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Medicine is often conservative and slow to incorporate something that wasn't there before and that we're afraid people are going to laugh at us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/medicine-is-often-conservative-and-slow-to-incorporate-something-that/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." And humans have herd mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-s-much-better-to-say-if-the-herd-is-running-i-m-running-with-those/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [The thinnest people on the planet are those who eat the most carbohydrates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/the-thinnest-people-on-the-planet-are-those-who-eat-the-most/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [People do lose weight on an Atkins diet. The reason they lose weight is because of calorie reduction. If a person's caloric intake has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/people-do-lose-weight-on-an-atkins-diet-the-reason-they-lose-weight/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Dogs have a sense of smell much greater than ours and they're much faster than we are. We have fairly dull senses, fairly slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/dogs-have-a-sense-of-smell-much-greater-than-ours-and-they-re-much/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [The Stone Age gave us arrow heads and eventually knives, and that allowed us to kill animals in ways you couldn't before, and once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/the-stone-age-gave-us-arrow-heads-and-eventually-knives-and-that/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I thought - being a musician doesn't help your medical credibility really. Although I started to rethink that when I learned that Albert Einstein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-thought-being-a-musician-doesn-t-help-your-medical-credibility/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It doesn't do a lot of good for your health to move from red meat to white meat, but it gets you further down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-doesn-t-do-a-lot-of-good-for-your-health-to-move-from-red-meat-to/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're doctors. Our job is to tell the truth. And it doesn't have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s-useful-we-re-doctors-our-job/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I was aware of what animals go through because I had driven animals to slaughter and I'd killed animals. And I was aware that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-was-aware-of-what-animals-go-through-because-i-had-driven-animals/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [A vegan diet takes care of most of what we need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/a-vegan-diet-takes-care-of-most-of-what-we-need-to-do/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I have been following a vegan diet now since the 1980s, and find it not only healthier, but also much more attractive than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-have-been-following-a-vegan-diet-now-since-the-1980s-and-find-it/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-beef-is-your-idea-of-real-food-for-real-people-you-d-better-live/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) [Explore all 39 Neal Barnard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Overall, our population is in the worst shape it's ever been. Children are in terrible shape. We have absolutely unprecedented numbers of obese and overweight children - one in three now. 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