Childhood Obesity

Children are more obese today than in decades past. This is due to more fast food chains, the lack of physical exercise offered in schools, and the emergence of video game systems. Children enjoy being a “couch potato” either playing video games or watching television, instead of being outdoors getting the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day. The reasons of childhood obesity can be as complex as the cure for it. Many parents are no longer proactive in their children’s eating habits; instead giving into their constant bombardment for unhealthy food options, either being the fast food meal or junk food such as candy and chips. Children who are considered obese are now diagnosed with medical problems once reserved for the older generation. Children are becoming obese at a younger age due to advertising on television for unhealthy food choices, lack of exercise currently offered in schools, and the prevalence of video game systems in the home.

Fast food has become the staple of America's eating habit. Children have become accustomed to getting a kids' meal for dinner, so they can receive a toy; however the fat and calories in these meals are contributing to the growing rate of children becoming obese at a much younger age than in past generations. According to a report on CBS Evening News "Fast Food, Fat Children" by News Correspondent Thalia Assuras (2001), "If you look at the rise of the obesity rate in the United States, it's grown pretty much in step with the rise of fast-food consumption... and now it's the second-leading cause of death in the United States, after smoking". Many parents are working longer hours, and fast food is a quicker alternative to healthy home-cooked meals, even though fast food is loaded up on fat and calories that are not in the best interest of children. Older children enjoy the bigger portions being offered at many fast food chains, and the ease of something quick and easy leads to many older children being considered...