Youth obesity

Game consoles, MacDonald’s, KFC, all companies that provide entertainment and fried foods for kids are the main causers of the growing number of children becoming obese. These companies are so prevalent on today’s youth’s lives that they make a profound impact on their health. With the rate that these companies are expanding worldwide, the rate at which children are becoming obese is bound to become even worse. Every corner you go around especially in America you will find a fast food restaurant. This is the main reason why America has the highest youth obesity rate. During the past 30 years the percentage of obese children between the ages of 6 and 11 has tripled. It is amazing is it not all we have to do to change this is adjust our food intake and watch our daily activities so I ask of you to join me and change for the better of our own lives.

There are three causes of youth obesity that stood out from the rest for me. These are poor nutrition, low self esteem and a less – active – youth. Eating healthy means taking a lot more time to prepare a meal and it costs more than a readymade, extremely fast, unwatched while being cooked and full of oil fast food meal. A lot of parents are not educated with what is right for their children to be eating. So they leave their children to enjoy what they like instead of having a balanced diet. Children’s self esteems lower when they are obese because of society’s influences on being thin. As they get more obese their social interactions with other youths decrease because of this influence.

Now the low self esteem that develops leads to children no longer being around others thus making them become less active which helps to make children even more obese. A study performed by Research Triangle Institute International for the Centres of Disease Control in Washington, DC surveyed 986 parents on childhood obesity and prevention. The results were as follows 49.5% did not feel schools had the right to record children’s weights. 72.9% felt that schools needed to provide weight loss and exercise programs. 39.1% thought an increase on the tax of fast food was constructive. 42.31% favoured the standardization of food portions in restaurants.

You must be thinking that to stop obesity means we just have to remove fat from our diets. But you would be wrong stopping obesity does not just mean removing fat from your diets. Usually when people remove fat from their diet they will increase their intake of sugar, high density carbohydrates, and starches. This means you are having a low protein and fat meal which often leave people feeling hungry which leads to them filling their stomachs as soon as possible with whatever they can find to eat.

That is wrong. You need to have and stick to a balanced diet. Most of us eat 3 large meals, breakfast, lunch and supper. That too is wrong. You need to eat six small meals and your last meal should be eaten at least two hours before going to sleep to allow for you to burn all fat and energy from the meal. This information was given to me by an actual dietician from CFB.

Coming back to the topic of game consoles and I would like to add into that topic television. The question is, is television a friend or foe of youth obesity is what I shall answer for you. Every hour a child sits and plays a video game or watches TV they may double their risk of becoming obese. Glenda Nichols, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Tarrant County College she stated in an interview that on average a child watches or plays a video games for 7.1 hours a day. That equals to 25,000 hours of being in front of a television by the time that they would be seniors in high school. That is extremely dangerous because children are guaranteeing their chances of becoming obese.

Some long term effects of childhood obesity are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. These are all very dangerous for the human body. But these are just a few of the many associated problems.

More problems associated with obesity are:

1. Diabetes

2. Hyperlipidemia

3. Blood circulation diseases like arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and palsy

4. Skin disease

5. Joint problems, back, knee, and ankle pain

6. Liver disease

7. Cholelithiasis

8. Menstrual abnormalities

9. Female infertility

10. Breast cancer

11. Endometrium cancer

12. Decline in libido

13. Mental stress

We all live in a society that sends out very strong messages about beauty and body weight. Girls are encouraged to constantly diet and exercise until they attain a fit, thin body. Boys are told to constantly work out and do whatever is necessary to attain a buff, muscular figure. Am I wrong? So come on let’s follow the messages society sends to all of us together. I ask all of you to not do it for me but to do it for yourself. You will not forget it especially in the long run. So come on let’s get healthy.