Fast food and sedentary lifestyle is the cause of childhood obesity for 90+% of rolly-polly kids.
Problem is the cell phone lifestyle & x-box displacing ordinary play, running & riding bikes, spending more time on the internet than sleeping. That is the reason why child obesity is an issue in the US but nearly nowhere else, and why it didn’t exist in this country until the last couple of decades.
It’s not hard. The “explanations” and “cures” that pile up are meant to avoid exercise and preserve that lazy lifestyle and their parents who would rather give their kid a box of pills than take them on a hike.
It’s all bullsh*t.
it is mostly genetic.
I’ve trained 1,500+ 7-12 year olds to become competitive swimmers for my church league. A few became stars; most were experiencing their first, very first, extended exercise for more than a day. All, without exception, vastly improved their physiques, stamina, & strength. And that was just from 90 minutes, twice week, for 16 weeks. My return rate was over 95% until the kid aged out.
Many parents were dumbfounded. The ones who went Karen on me at the start of the season were the most astonished.