Wek 10-Obesity in Children

Dear Person,
In our American society, we often blame the overconsumption of fatty, greasy foods and processed foods as the biggest contributor to children and adolescent obestiy. However, I think something that is either just as important or even more important to consider is the amount of time children sit and watch TV, and what the advertisements that they see on a daily basis are telling them. Media is greatly affecting the health of children and adolescents; probably alot more than many may think. It's really important to realize that Americans used to be much more active a century ago because there weren't machines that could do everything for them. Now, most American's have a very sedentary lifestyle. The majority of jobs require sitting all day at a desk and kids sit all day in school. Therefore, if most Americans want any real physical activity, they have to be very self-motivated. Research tells that obesity trends have been rising in both children and adults for the pass 30 years. The most recent research suggests that by 2006, close to 15% of all children in the United States were considered obese.

The main reason that people are obese is because energy increase is greater than energy expenditure, meaning that alot more calories are being consumed than are being used. Genetics also plays a role because some people just naturally have metabolisms that are alot slower than others. However this is not what we need to worry about. We need to learn how to keep the intake and expenditure in balance. Research states that T.V. advertising for food probably affects children and adolescents the most because that is when eating habits are developing. Since most children watch television at least once a day, they have frequent exposure to these same advertisements, it affects their food choices, especially in kids that are 2-6 years old. Sometimes I think that parents often look over the fact that their children are really dangerously overweight, and that is what gets them into trouble. Parents need to realize that just because they are their child, doesn't make them any less susceptible to health risks if their child is overweight. Also, if the child is overweight, there is a great chance that one of the parents is overweight as well; because children learn mostly from example.

Basically, what we need to do is create a greater awareness for this problem, and the risks that it entails. Because it is more important to keep our children healthy and ensure them longer lives, than to overlook their problems, and choose to not do anything about their obesity.