Childhood Obesity A Growing Problem in Our Society Essay

Overweight and obese children significantly affect the United States today, becoming a further pronounced issue. The amount of overweight adolescents and younger children sky rocketed in the past few years, and more than tripled since the 1970s. Developing overweight habits while young inhibits an individual’s chances of a healthy lifestyle later in life. In order to prevent the obesity epidemic in our country, the major causes and root problems of obesity must be explored and abolished. Obviously, overeating and a lacking of physical activity both contribute immensely to obesity. The one most unaware to the public eye is the overwhelming availability of cheap food and how that affects social classes. Childhood obesity, an issue slowly†¦show more content†¦This causes kids to eat more without really even realizing it. (Snyder, 2). Not only meal sizes have grown, but salty snacks and even soft drinks have upped their portion sizes. Snack bags have upped from about one ounce to 1.6 ounces per bag, while soft drinks grew as much as 12.2 ounces to 19.9 ounces on average. (Bishop, 2.) Most importantly, nutritional value has plummeted, and children choose to fill up on unhealthy foods rather than foods that are good for them. Children must have a healthy diet to support optimal brain growth and development. Today, the majority of American children fall short of a healthy diet, as only 21% eat the daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables. (Bishop, 3). Instead, they fuel up on fast food that is both rich in fat, and low in nutrition. As much as one-third of children choose to eat fast food daily, rather than eating a healthy meal at home, resulting in about 6 extra pounds of weight gain per year. If children would cut out the unnecessary calorie intake, watch their portion sizes, and eat healthy meals, the amount of kids overeating would plummet down. Also, little to no exercise greatly enhances a child’s chances of becoming obese. Chi ldren today are growing accustom to staying indoors, never going outside and expending any energy. As time goes by, technology improves; creating lazy, unhealthy habits for children and adolescents. Kids never go outside to play anymore, as they have endless amounts of TV channelsShow MoreRelatedParents, Schools, and Society Must Fight Childhood Obesity Essay examples1183 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years† (Adolescent and School Health), this is according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control. Obesity has become a national epidemic. This problem is not exclusive to the United States. The obesity rate has been rising all over the world. Many are confused by what it means to be obese. Obesity is having an excessive amount of body fat or a high BMI, body mass index, not just being overweight. 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