Obesity Rising Among Teenagers
(CWK Network) According to the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted every two years by the Centers for Disease Control, overall, fewer teens today are engaging in health risks. Since 1991, the percentages of kids drinking, having sex, doing drugs and driving without a seatbelt have gone down.
"We're actually seeing progress on most -- not all -- but most of the risk behaviors," said Howell Wechsler, Director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the CDC.
However, there is one glaring exception.
"I bet you could guess this," Wechsler said, "but the one area where we're actually going in the wrong direction are those behaviors related to physical activity, nutrition and weight."
He says if this trend doesn't change, the obesity epidemic in America will be painful.
"We did a study here at the CDC that found that if we don't make very dramatic changes in the way we live, out of all the children born in the year 2000, one out of three will develop diabetes. And that's going to be staggering for our nation."
"Staggering" was that kind of message that encouraged Cindy Lamay to get her whole family exercising.
At first, though, it was a tough sell.
"It took quite a while, it really did," Lamay said, "and some days it still does. Some days it's still a fight for them to get out there and do it -- but we truly get out there and do it everyday."
"I didn't want to do it at all," said 12-year-old Jessie.
Her little sister Allie remembers, "I was, like, why do we have to run?"
What convinced the kids to work and sweat and get in shape? Their mom.
"Without my mom, I don't think I would, because I wouldn't have had that motivation every day -- to just get up and run," said 13-year-old J.J.
They eat better. They exercise almost every day. They do it as a family.
"And it's made a huge difference in the way we live our daily life," said Lamay, "It's just amazing how a little bit can change what you do daily."
Childhood Obesity in Teenagers 
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