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Childhood Obesity

Children in America are becoming fat. “Childhood obesity is best tackled at home through improved parental involvement, increased physical exercise, better diet and restraint from eating.”  33 percent of children and teens are currently obese.  Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat.  Parents feed their children technically twice a day. They feed them breakfast and dinner, but even though they are not there during the school day, (they can control what their child is eating in between the time.) What they can't control are the snacks they eat while they're not in their parents supervision. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year.The reason most children in America are becoming obese is either because they are following in their parents footsteps or they have no control of the food they are eating.Excess weight and obesity in childhood and adolescence has become a serious public health concern in the United States.  Most  of a child’s diet is controlled by the parents, parents should be held responsible for childhood obesity.

Weight loss is not a good approach for most young children, since their bodies are growing and developing. A restrictive diet may not supply the energy and nutrients needed for a normal growth and development. Parents and caregivers can help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education. Increased physical activity reduces health risks and helps weight management.This is an easy way of maintaining your childs diet because between the ages of 6-13 because around those ages whatever your parent does more than likely,your child will also.Parents play a role model in their childs life.By excersising and making it fun, cutting down snacks and junk food this will play a good role and great beginning in there childs life. There is a lack of ready access to healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.  Families in poorer communities often live in “food deserts” where supermarkets and grocery stores are scarce or charge higher prices for healthy foods than processed foods. Families with less income must often rely on convenience stores and small neighborhood stores that offer few, if any, healthy food choices. To make matters worse, many underserved communities, particularly in urban areas, have an overabundance of fast food establishments that are often located near schools and playgrounds.Parents also need to monitor amount of calories their child consumes.By the age of 13 an average child should be consuming 1,600 calories a day, and a more active child should consume about 2,000.  However, children began consuming more calories in 2007-2008, they began consuming 16 to 20% more calories a day. Surprisingly for an average child to become obese they need to consume 64 calories more than a normal child per day. By applying proper nutrition, better eating habits and physical activity, any child can live a healthy life.