You are considered obese if your weight is 20% or more above the normal weight for your age. One cause that doctors associate with childhood obesity is neglectful parents. Parents that are considered neglectful either feed their child food with too much carbs, sugar, and fat or don't encourage enough physical activity to burn it off. Another cause is the television because it takes place of fun activities that could be done outside, like biking, playing sports, or swimming. Watching the tv can also cause unnecessary and constant snacking. I see this trait in my brother a lot but he plays outside most of the time which burns calories. And one last cause of obesity in children is fast food restaurants which are widely advertised, especially on children's tv networks, which links two of the causes.