One of the major health problems in children in the United States is obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person has accumulated an excessive amount of body fat that has become harmful to his or her health. To track this, health professionals use the term “obese” when a person has a body mass index (BMI) over 30. While BMI should not be the sole determining factor in whether your child is obese or less, since it only takes into account height and weight, it is one of the best known systems for determining whether a person is overweight or obese (Nichols). Obesity is accompanied by a number of other health conditions that can include, but are not limited to, cancer, diabetes and depression. Not only do children and adolescents who suffer from obesity contract many diseases, but they also tend to get poor grades and be victims of bullying among their peers. Most Americans correlate obesity with an unhealthy lifestyle, but according to a 2006 Fox News article there may be other factors that contribute to obesity including smoking, medications, pollution, technology and lack of sleep. ("10 causes of obesity other than overeating"). One aspect that plays a role in childhood obesity rates is the economy. The economic position of American citizens plays a role in the types of foods they buy, where they buy, and their accessibility to purchasing them. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, approximately 23.5 million people live in a “food desert”. which is an urban or rural community that has little or no access to fresh food distributors such as a supermarket or farmers market. Many times in these communities the only food options are convenience stores and fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's and 7-Eleven, which... middle of the paper... an average family member receives less than two dollars per meal are absolutely unrealistic for the average family. With an increased budget for food benefit programs in the United States, this will allow many children and adolescents to eat a nutritious meal versus choosing between a meal with sufficient calories or a meal with more nutrients. Overall, this will reduce costs spent on obesity-related healthcare in the United States, which could be spent elsewhere, such as education, roads, social security, etc. By reinvesting money into education, this will allow many schools to have better physical education programs. and fitness programs that will not only educate children on how to have a healthy lifestyle, but also keep them active in physical education, thus preventing and reducing the number of obese children in the United States of America.