Childhood

According to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the sad truth is that Americans are some of the unhealthiest people in the world. Even though we are living in a country with great economic power and technological advancement, we are also living in a country with the smallest fund of practical nutritional knowledge. American’s are living in a land plagued with obesity. Childhood obesity is on the rise over the past 20 years according to the CDC with 12.5 million US children are obese.(5) With the lack of exercise and the over use of video games, TV and computers has created the problem of childhood obesity.

The prevalence of overweight children in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. Recent reports have reached epidemic levels, with approximately 16 percent of children, 2 to 19 years old, classified as overweight. (2) Excess weight has both immediate and long-term consequences and the current issue demands serious attention. 12.5 million US children are obese. Low-income families face numerous barriers including food insecurity, lack of safe places for physical activity, and lack of consistent access to healthful food choices, especially fruits and vegetables. In addition, households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling; meaning that they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger. Those who are food insecure may also overeat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain. This is especially a problem for low-income women, who often restrict their food intake to protect their children from hunger.(3)

Children spend more time watching television and videotapes and playing video games than in any other activity except sleeping. As a result, there has been widespread speculation that television viewing might be one...