Data of this type is utterly stunning. I remember several decades ago when a school nurse explained to me the sheer disbelief when the first type 2 diabetic teenager appeared at their school. That problem is now common. To now also have a generation of young people having strokes at significantly increasing rates is almost hard to believe, but appears to be the new reality of what we might call “Generation Fat.”

The risk factors for this problem will surprise nobody: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, lipid disorders, and tobacco use.

Our society is in major need of soul searching. The costs associated with this public health disaster are completely unsustainable, both in terms of direct medical costs and reduced productivity. Piling on more drugs at earlier ages will do nothing to stem the tide. Solutions start with us and with our own children, hoping to set examples that others can follow.