The commonness of child obesity in our society among the rising generation is quite distressing. Some have asked what as led to the ongoing rise in child obesity. This article shares some of the main reasons that play a role in the child obesity crisis.
One of the biggest causes is lack of exercise. Children nowadays spend more time indoors playing video games and watching television than the previous generations.
Kids simply don't spend enough time outdoors playing in activities such as tossing around a ball, walking to the store with peers, playing sports, bike riding, or skating. Television and video games are the types of entertainment that is usually blamed for children's inactivity.
However, there are other reasons for child not playing outside. Parents sometimes contribute to the factor of children staying inside more. More parents are worried about allowing their children play outside or walk around the neighborhood without parent supervision.
Often this is due to unsafe neighborhoods, or the fear of unknown possible dangers. Another technology that is often referred to when it comes to children preferring indoor play is the luxury of air conditioning.
Nowadays, air conditioning is considered a need, not a want. So not only is it difficult to get kids outdoors during the winter, but also in the summer.
Another contributor to child obesity is portion control. In our society, we have the mindset that more is better. Fast food restaurants incorporate this thinking into their menus so customers have the option of super sizing or enlarging there portion sizes.
These larger sizes or burgers, fries, and soft drinks make it easier for children to overindulge, consuming more calories than needed. In earlier generations, when there wasn't the more is better mindset, children were happy with an eight ounce bottled soft drink.
Now kids want a large drink, which is usually at least thirty-two ounces. These larger portion sizes mixed with inactivity is why our children are having a difficult time staying fit, and why the child obesity rate continues to rise.
The fact that America is just getting fatter and fatter is a huge concern for general health. It is very likely that children of today will experience health issues related to obesity, such as heart failure, diabetes, back strain, stroke, and other problems, if we don't see a change in the obesity rate.
There are ways that child obesity can be prevented, and/or treated. It would be a great idea to seek advice from your medical care giver if your child has a weight issue. Nutrition and physical activity are the main ingredients for eliminating child obesity.