How can we combat the rising child obesity rates?

It all comes down to education. To combat rising child obesity rates parents and children need to be educated about nutrition and how much energy/how many calories you actually need every day and the negative effects of consuming too much.

One of the main reasons why obesity is rising in children and adults is because many have no idea how much sugar/fat/uneccessary calories they are actually eating everyday and if they find out, by that time they have already created bad habits which are very difficult to change.

The key is to start educating parents about nutrition/healthy eating at the time of their child(ren)'s birth. Maybe emails/letters sent out to parents with nutritional information/guidelines for every new stage of their child's development, coupled with a website/forum where parents can ask questions, find more information/recipes/calorie counters etc.

Then, to start educating children consistently throughout their school years and involving their parents so that they can develop and continue healthy informed eating habits into adulthood.