Report: 69% of doctors blame parents for childhood obesity epidemic

NEW YORK — Sermo, a social network for physicians, announced Wednesday that 69% of doctors think parents are either completely or mostly to blame for the childhood obesity epidemic.

Thirty percent of respondents said parents are somewhat to blame and only 1% said they weren't to blame at all, according to a poll conducted by Sermo that received 2,258 responses from doctors around the world.

"While it is likely true that in some instances excessive childhood weight is genetic, it's hard not to think that in most cases the etiology is environmental," one doctor said. "The most important component of that environment is parental control."

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health threats of the 21st century, putting children at serious risk for Type 2 diabetes, asthma and heart failure, the World Health Organization said. One in six children in the United States is obese, and children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults,  the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.