United States has been battling obesity ever since meals got super-sized and beverage cups went up as far as 1.5 liters. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of U.S. adults are obese.

Unfortunately, children are close by with approximately 17% or 12.5 million kids and adolescents aged 2 to 19 are obese. California is one such state that is still having a hard time combating obesity.

In fact, in a study titled "A Patchwork of Progress: Changes in Overweight and Obesity Among California 5th, 7th and 9th Graders, 2005," found that 38% of children in California today are still affected with obesity. This percentage translates to nearly three times higher than it was 30 years ago, when the researchers said the obesity epidemic began.

With the rate of overweight and obese children dropping by only 1.1% from 2005 to 2010, Susan Babey from the University of California, Los Angeles, cited that the improvements are not being seen statewide. She added that children's health is still at risk in a number of counties - 31 out of California's 58 counties experienced an increase in childhood overweight from 2005 to 2010.

According to the study, the counties with the highest rates are Imperial with 46.9%, Colusa with 45.7%, Del Norte with 45.2%, and Monterey with 44.6%.

The study warned of both the health and economic repercussions of these increased obesity rates. According to the researchers, children who are overweight or obese often grow up to be obese themselves with increased risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes and some cancers.

So what can parents do to help their children fight off or avoid their tendency to be obese? According to Nicole Carlson and Beth Hering of Volunteer Guide, there are some simple things that parents can do to be pro-active.

1. Stop rewarding children with food - rewarding children with candies and snacks breeds bad habits

2. Be a role model - practicing what parents teach their children will convince them to do the same

3. Limit couch time - by limiting TV, video game, and computer time, children will resort to a healthier activity such as playing outdoors

4. Instill good food choices - this way, even when children are not under the supervision of the parents, the kids will make healthy, good food choices