More Butler County teens are becoming overweight and obese, following a national trend that health care officials warn could have life-long, costly implications.

According to a recent study from the Ohio Department of Health, obesity rates have tripled in youth over the past three decades, and about one in three children and teens in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese, according to the National Institutes of Health.

In Butler County, the percentage of third graders who are overweight or obese rose 10 percent between 2005 and 2010, to between 30 and 39 percent. In Warren County, the percentage stayed level at 20 to 29 percent. Butler was one of eight Ohio counties to see a significant jump in the percentage of children overweight or obese.

The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion, and since overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt healthier patterns of eating and exercising, the cost of obesity will continue rising, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Locally, Dr. Dale Block, a family physician, said it’s time to “wake up” and start teaching our youth healthier habits at an earlier age. He said the education must begin in the community and not in the examination room. He called it “a collective effort.”

Recently, he was counseling a father, who was obese and a diabetic. During the examination, the man’s son consumed a 44-ounce icy drink. If one parent is obese, there is a 50 percent chance that their children will be obese, and if both parents are obese, the scale tips to 80 percent, studies show.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is pushing for yearly instruction and has agreed to support legislation that would require classes in causes, consequences and prevention of obesity for first through 12th graders.

The Center for Disease Control found that more than 78 million adults and almost 13 million children ages 2 to 19 are obese with a body-mass index of at least 30. The government says a healthy weight is a BMI of between 18 and 25.

Half the nation’s overweight teens risk heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems because they have unhealthy blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar levels, a new government study finds.

Overall the study found that 50 percent of overweight youths and 60 percent of obese youths had at least one risk factor for future heart disease. But normal-weight kids weren’t in the clear — 37 percent had at least one risk factor and could face increased chances for heart trouble as adults, the study suggests.

The study showed that the percentage of adolescents who were diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes rose dramatically, from 9 percent to 21 percent. Pre-diabetics have higher than normal blood sugar levels.

Another study shows that among obese children, their average health claims costs are nearly double those of non-obese children. Overweight children also experience substantial medical problems, and miss more school days than leaner children, resulting in their parents’ higher absenteeism, lower productivity and greater health utilization.

Dr. Block, who has been in practice for 24 years, said children need to be more active, turn off their video games and reduce their sugar intake

Jackie Phillips, Middletown health commissioner, has seen a slow increase in the number of overweight and obese children.

“It didn’t happen overnight,” she said.

Phillips, 51, said when she was a kid, she played all day and walked everywhere. There were no drive-through windows at fast-food restaurants. She said as more children are raised in homes where both parents work, or in single-parent homes, she sees an increase dependence on fast-food, which is often loaded with fat.

“It all adds up to obesity,” she said.

Unhealthy teens and adolescents all create “a drain on the whole system,” she said.

Dr. Garry Bowyer, associate professor of kinesiology and health at Miami University, said he sees a less-active and poor-eating generation, which is called “a pretty devastating combination.”

He recommended parents make activities enjoyable for their children at an early age and that families participate in lifelong activities like walking, hiking and biking.

“The way to motivate and keep them focused is to encourage, but not be pushy,” he said. “Allow them to find something that interests them.”

Bridget Behrmann, executive director of healthy living at the Great Miami Valley YMCA in Hamilton, said there needs to be education — at home and school — at every age level. At the same time, she warned parents about pushing their children too hard, too fast.

“Food is as addictive as alcohol and cigarette,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.