Childhood Obesity

My generation is as unique as any of the other generations that have come before it. We grew up on television and the internet. We read more websites than books. We are constantly wired in and connected. We have witnessed amazing scientific and technological advances. But, unfortunately, my generation might be the first to have a shorter lifespan than its parents. One in three children are considered overweight or obese in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, occurrences of obesity in children aged six to nineteen have more than tripled since 1980. Child obesity is obviously a growing problem that could potentially have disastrous effects on my generation as well as the generations to follow. The significance of this problem is that it not only has huge physical health implications that are encouraged by the food industry, but it also has negative psychological effects on the children who are victims of obesity and economic implications for our nation.

Even now as I sit here eating a Snickers candy bar I wonder how obesity has become such an epidemic. And then I realize that the proof is right here on my hands. The wrapper reads: “Hungry? Grab a Snickers.” How long has eating candy been seen as an acceptable way to satisfy hunger? Something that once was an occasional treat now seams to have worked it's way into being a regularity in the American diet. This is mostly due the food industry in the United States. This industry insures that the least expensive foods and the “tastiest” foods are also the least healthy foods. The most advertised food is also the unhealthiest food. In fact, an advertisement promotes junk food every eight minutes on a children's television network. These trends in the food industry promote unhealthy diets which in turn promote unhealthy bodies. If there is no demand for the food industry to reform, the children of my generation will continue to follow these trends and carry them into adulthood, depleting the...