Changes in the Determinants of
Energy Balance
A range of environmental changes may have
affected children’s energy balance over the
past several decades. Combined with a potential
genetic susceptibility, these changes
may have contributed to the increase in
childhood overweight and obesity. In this
section we consider four possible changes in
the environment: the food market, the built
environment, schools and day care, and parents.
Subsequent articles in this volume discuss
each in more detail.
Changes in the Food Market