While the emotional cost of childhood obesity is tremendous, the cost in dollars is staggering.
The direct costs nationally of treating obesity-related diseases are estimated at $61 billion. It is predicted the true cost associated with childhood obesity will equal 10% or more of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States of America by the year 2010.

It is a daunting and complicated matter to reliably assess the true economic cost of the growing childhood overweight and obesity epidemic because the lives of individuals, families, businesses, and insurance companies are inextricably intertwined with, and affected by, the complications of childhood overweight and obesity. As of the date of this writing, it is estimated that employment productivity (due to absenteeism, illness, accidents, injuries and other disabilities associated with overweight and obesity) is declining at a rate in the United States in excess of 5% per year, while associated healthcare costs are increasing annually at an even higher and more rapidly climbing percentage.

To worsen matters, overweight children are generally inclined to become overweight adults, who, in turn continue the trend with their own children - and this unhealthy cycle continues in most families as a general rule, with sadly few exceptions. The social costs are mounting with each successive generation, and with each passing year.

Some of the more readily quantifiable factors which must enter into any meaningful computation of the annual cost of childhood obesity in the United States must, as a practical matter, include: medical treatment, psychological and other emotional treatment, increased insurance premiums, loss of workplace productivity, loss of wages and family support in severe or fatal cases, as well as an indeterminate number of other, more insidious damaging factors.

It was estimated that during the year 2006 the total cost to the taxpaying public associated with the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic was significantly in excess of two and one half billion dollars, which represents an increase of more than 15% over the preceding year. Just to add some perspective to these statistics, the cost in 2007 of this condition and its collateral implications is anticipated to equate to more than 5% of the total United States' Domestic National Product in that same year. And without our effort and intervention, this number can be anticipated to grow during 2007 and in every year thereafter at an accelerating rate. Most importantly, childhood obesity destroys human lives and robs children, OUR CHILDREN (the hope of our future), of any fair chance at happiness and success. And it costs each and every one of us more and more every year. Again, no person is unaffected. Every person will have to pay some portion of a currently inestimable cost.