The prevalence of obesity among American adolescents has increased by almost 100% between 1980 and 1994 compared to previous decades. Currently, in the 6- to 11-year age range, 15.3% of children have a weight above the 95th percentile and in the 12- to 19-year age group, this percentage increases to 15.5% of the total population. All children over the age of 2 with a weight in the 85-95 percentile range are virtually doomed to be obese in adulthood. Responsible for this is the effective replication of inappropriate behaviour patterns learned from their own parents. The main culprits here are a sedentary lifestyle and a penchant for 'fast food'.