A new report calls on governments, private institutions and parents to join forces against childhood obesity. Progress is fragmented and too slow, the report observes, and leadership is sorely needed.

The obesity rate for American children and teens has been steadily increasing -- climbing from 16 percent in 2002 to 17.1 percent in 2004. It is projected to reach 20 percent by 2010. At present, the report says, one-third of American kids are either obese or at risk of obesity.

Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis and cancer are just some of the diseases that are known to be linked to obesity.

There have been some hopeful signs recently, the report acknowledges. The federal government has adopted policies that encourage improved nutrition and more physical activity in schools. Communities increasingly are providing sidewalks and bicycle paths to encourage more exercise.

Still, any significant changes leading to real benefits for children will take years of unrelenting effort, the report said.

The IOM report's lead author, Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, vice president for academic health affairs at Emory University's Woodruff Health Sciences Center, called it a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of anti-obesity programs.

"The nation is beginning to grasp the severity of the epidemic," he acknowledged. However, he added that "we are still not doing enough to prevent childhood obesity, and the problem is getting worse."

Though pointing out that every sector of society bears responsibility for the problem, and all must work together to solve it, the report calls on federal, state and local governments to take the lead in establishing and monitoring programs. It also calls upon the food industry to take responsibility for producing healthier products and making portion sizes sensible.

Parents, too, have an important role to play in guiding their children's nutrition and encouraging physical activity.

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the study, told reporters that until the epidemic is reversed, "the very health of the country hangs in the balance."