Did you know that more than 35% of adults and 17% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 in the United States are considered obese (Bucci 32). Obesity is a growing problem, not only in the United States, but everywhere it needs to be controlled. The United States is the largest country in the world, closely followed by Mexico. Fast food and technology are some of the main reasons that you usually think of when you think about the causes of obesity, but have you ever thought that parents and family members play an important role in causing obesity? obesity? Family influence can cause obesity in children by not eating healthily. If a parent is obese themselves or the genes run in the family, it is very likely that the child will be obese too. “Fat cells are not the only story linked to obesity today; Scientists have discovered a common genetic variant that increases the risk of obesity in its carriers. The melanocortin-4 receptor or MC4F is involved in the control of appetite and metabolism. 81% of people carry at least one risk variant of FTO or MC4R' (Loos). So, without some supervision of children and ensuring that they eat a desirable amount of food, which is also healthy, a child's MC4F could end up making them obese. Now think back to when you were a child. In two different intestines there are either biscuits or apples. When you were a child, what would you have chosen? Children choose for themselves the types of foods they need, and without guidance, these choices become habits. If the parents are obese, there is a good chance that their child will be obese too. Eating healthy foods can cost families too much, which is a problem. With only a limited amount of money to spend on food, families will buy what will fill them up, which are often not the healthiest foods (Watson ...... middle of paper ......Diet: obesity among children American Children." Childhood Education.83.3 (2007): 190. ProQuest.Web. November 7, 2013. Holliday, Heather. "Oversized Nation: Are Fast Food Restaurants to Blame for Adolescent Obesity?" Scholastic Scope. March 7 2003: 22. ProQuest.Web November 5, 2013. “How Obesity Harms a Child's Body.” Krey, Michael. “Technology A Factor in Obesity Problem: Milken.” Study." Investor's Business Daily. August 22, 2012. ProQuest.Web. November 12, 2013. Loos, RJ. "Making Sense of Obesity Genes" The National Geographic. May 4, 2008: Web. November 7, 2013. Mello, Michelle M., Eric B. Rimm and David M. Studdert “The McLaw Trial: The Fast Food Industry and Legal Liability for Obesity.” Web. November 12, 2013. Watson, Stephanie. "The genetics of obesity". The Rosen Publishing Group Inc. New York: 2009. Print.