Economically speaking, Finke and Huston say, the effects parents' time orientations have on their children add what they describe as a "moral" dimension to the study of overweight. "From a purely microeconomic standpoint, the outcome of [adult] obesity is not necessarily a 'bad' outcome -- people make choices to maximize their utility or happiness," Huston says.

Yet unlike adults, children are not "free-choosing" consumers. Kids are not making choices to maximize their utility or happiness; they're eating what parents and schools provide for them.

"Consequently, the government may need to play a role in helping children invest in their health capital through sound nutrition in the same way it helps children invest in human capital through public education," Finke says. "Children shouldn't necessarily have to carry the poor choices of their parents through to adulthood."

Gable concurs with Finke's conclusion and has devoted considerable effort toward developing programs to help parents and caregivers do a better job of establishing healthy habits in children. It won't be easy: "The forces at work against parents' efforts to instill healthy habits are very strong. Children are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy foods and inactive games. They attend schools where soda and snack machines are common, and 'healthy' lunches include ketchup as a serving of vegetables." Overcoming these obstacles, she adds, will require multifaceted approaches similar to those the federal government once used to urge decreased smoking and to promote the use of safety belts.

Finke and Huston agree, arguing further that restricting kids' access to poor-quality foods should figure prominently in any such strategy. The reason, they say, is that education about future costs would have little effect on those whose poor diets stem from a focus on the present. At-risk kids and their parents are typically undeterred by warnings of future health consequences.

"If we are serious about improving the nutrition of children through public policy, then the government needs to improve food choices within schools and work on making healthier foods available to parents at a lower cost," Finke says. "Too often, public expenditure on agriculture is directed by political factors not related to nutrition. Improving the quality of foods available within the school lunch program, creating incentives for healthier foods to the Women, Infants and Children Program and food stamp recipients, and targeting agricultural subsidies toward more nutritious foods would be a good start."