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(Left to right) Allison Cole, Shari Lininger, Jonny Dallo, Cassi Harp are students at the Academy of the Sierras, the first boarding school with solutions for teens struggling with their weight.
Last resort school for overweight teens
Obesity rates are climbing in nearly all states, for adults as well as kids. At a new school, academics are taught— along with a new way of life. FULL STORY
Dateline NBC


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  A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
Obesity epidemic
?In the last 10 years, obesity rates have increased by more than 60 percent among adults.
?Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents. Of children and adolescents aged 6–19 years, 15 percent—about 9 million young people—are considered overweight.
?More than 60 percent of young people eat too much fat, and less than 20 percent eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
?More than a third of young people in grades 9–12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity.
?Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity play an important role in many chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, gallbladder disease, and arthritis.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
FREE VIDEO
Losing to win
Aug. 19: A radical new program tries to help teens confront the things that led to their obesity and lose weight in the process. NBC's Rob Stafford has the story.
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