According to the CDC, childhood obesity affects approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years, therefore it is safe to say that in the U.S, childhood obesity is a health crisis that deserves our attention and more importantly some action.
When I say fast food I'm not speaking only of McDonald's and its counterparts. The grocery store is full of fast processed food like chips,cookies,crackers and candies that contributes to obesity.
Some kids who grew up in the 1980's are now parents themselves and reflecting on my generation's childhood may explain some of the behaviors prevalent today.
For instance, I remember as a kid, I would go outside with my brother and cousins and we'd race up and down the street, ride our bikes and scooters and beg to go to the park. As the 1990's approached, game systems like Nintendo and Sega kept us indoors.
Fast forward to the 21st century and some of those kids who were born in the 1980's are parents themselves. Some don't see an issue with sitting their kid in front of the television and letting them eat and play video games. Childhood obesity can turn into adult obesity which is linked to such health problems as hypertension, heart attack and stroke to name a few.
Some people won't read about issues or have access to professionals so they turn to the television for guidance. Below is a clip from a television show called "Honey, we're killing the kids."
The show's premise is to reveal to parents how their actions and behaviors regarding diet and exercise can negatively impact the child's future. The program goes a step further by showing the parents a computer generated version of their child through adolescence and into mid adult life (around 40 years old) if they continue on the path of bad eating habits and no exercise.
It's hard to get people to change their ways but shows like this are eye-opening and possibly enough to "scare the parents straight".
I love that you incorporated a helpful and professional video into your blog. I am a very visural person so I find the videos helpful. The video also adds a human element to an otherwise stale topic. The public has been hearing stories about good health since the Reagan administration, however, it is time society does something about the obesity epidemic.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of this dilemma about obesity is a person's digestive system will break down over the future years. If people in general do not get enough hydration and nutrition, they will bloat and stop their intestines from working properly. This aspect is also a factor for anorexic people. Colon cancer is rising in status as a killer among baby boomers. Not a pleasant thing to discuss with your physician.
If parents could incorporate healthy foods in a toddlers diet, then by the time they are in middle school they will have established a healthy diet. We are creatures of habit and habits are hard to break. Words of encouragement and not words of discontent will work wonders for children battling eating disorders also.
Obesity is one of the biggest problem and children are affected by the choices their parents make. Some parents allow the children to select which kind of junk food they want. McDonald's and fast food restaurants are very popular for families to grab a quick meal. Our society is changing with new technology that most families do not sit down and eat home cook food. Everything is all about efficiency and families rarely have quality time. There are parents who do not mind if their children spend all day watching television or play video games. Children are becoming less active when they can be entertain by technology in the home. Also, some school do not have physical activities for health classes. This caused children to not be engage in any exercise and lead them to a path of obesity if there are no support in a healthy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends is a family practice physician. He tells me that for about 80% of his patients his advice is "stop smoking, eat less and less fattening food, get more exercise." When you translate that into economic terms, the cost to the country of poor diet is probably in the trillions. Not to mention the human consequences.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting fact that the video included in your post addressed was the fact that the mother simply didn't have the time to make sure her children are eating healthy meals.The increase in single parents in America has to have a relatively strong influence on the obesity rate in that most single parents simply don't have the time to make sure things like adequate exercise are taking place.
ReplyDeleteI do read your blog because although I am not a parent, I do remember what it was like to be a child and I tend to think I have a little insight, therefore into what they are thinking! LOL
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of kids scream and cry about eating healthy things. It's mainly because things that are bad for you are so good! It's also because parents really don't tend to make their kids eat things when they say they don't "like them." Now I remember when I was little, if something was put in front of me I would say "I don't like that," when what I really mean to say was "I don't really want that right now, I'd rather have pizza." I learned that you get what you get. There is a difference between a child actually not "liking" something and not "wanting" it because they would prefer something else. Kids know parents underestimate their intelligence and quickly cave. Just some thoughts :)
I really liked that you added video to your post. I totally agree with you about the problem with fast food and obesity. It's probably starting in a real young age, goes through college and then follows us in the adult life. For example, most of the college students don't really have time to cook for themselves, so they can grab a quick snack and ran to the classes or to their job (because most of the students work). These quick snacks maybe something like chocolates, sandwiches, crackers or chips. It is well known that these kind of fast food leads to obesity and to development of bad food behaviors.
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