Causes of childhood obesity

By Weight Loss Consultant • Related • Filed Under

Childhood obesity is definitely on the rise. Studies show that at least 15% of all children are obese today. Statistics show that genetics and health issues can be contributed to childhood obesity to a lesser degree, however the main contributions to childhood obesity are behavioral in origin and can be prevented to a large degree. We will discuss the main reasons of childhood obesity below and ways this can be prevented as well as some good interventions for children who are already obese.

Bad eating habits and eating the wrong types of foods are by far the largest contributors to childhood obesity today. Children start at an early age eating too much as well as ingest large amounts of fast food or processed foods that are low in nutritional values, as well as being high in calories, sugars, and fats.

Instead of being given fresh fruits and vegetables at a young age, children are frequently given, chips, cookies or other processed foods. Children often mimic the behavior of their parents, therefore if adults do not eat healthy foods, the child is much more likely to eat foods that are not of a healthy nature either.

As studies have shown, children continue the habits that they learn when they are young, therefore it is very important for parents as well as child care centers to be educated in the importance of eating well themselves as well as feeding their children a healthy diet.

It has been shown that minority children as well as those who are on the low end of the socioeconomic scale are much more likely to become obese. This can be due to two factors. Parents of minority children may not be aware of the importance of a healthy diet, and very well may be obese themselves.  The second reason is that it is less expensive to purchase processed foods than to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. They also require more time and effort to prepare.

It is much quicker and easier to grab a bag of chips than it is to peel carrots or make a salad. Diets today are largely consumed due to how quickly and easily they can be prepared. Manufacturers and retailers of foods today encourage adults to consume processed foods which are not healthy as well as feed these to their children. Another factor is the fact that processed foods are much less expensive, so it is likely that those on limited incomes are much more apt to purchase and eat foods that are inexpensive and will meet their budgeting needs.

School menus are not nutritionally sound and the fact that most schools until a few years ago allowed vending machines to be on the premises, have led to further encourage children to not eat properly. Most schools allow children to choose the food that they want in the school cafeteria instead of giving children a well balanced meal. Most children will choose chocolate cake over green beans or carrots any day.

Lack of exercise and activities are another predominant reason of childhood obesity as well. Children tend to watch television or play video games rather than playing outside and participate in sports which would help to burn off all the additional calories that they eat. Schools today, instead of allowing children to have a period per day to get outside and be active have cut physical activities down to once or twice per week. They need exercise on a daily basis to help burn up all those empty calories that they consume.

Parents, child care centers, and schools need to be better educated in the benefits of a healthy diet and proper exercise for their children’s sakes. The younger a child starts to eat properly, the more likely they will be to continue to eat a healthy diet through out their lives.

If childhood obesity is not addressed and soon there will be many more obese adults who will have health problems and issues that will require medical intervention. It is a shame as this is preventable and it should be of major importance to all adults especially those who are parents of children today and all educators as well.

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