Childhood Obesity Case Studies |
There are different studies that have shown the increasing growth of childhood obesity, in just 20 years the percentage of children with obesity has doubled and this has become a major concern, what are we doing wrong and why has this happened? In this case study we will try to answer those questions.
There are 2 sides of the story on one side we are responsible for our choices and its our fault and on the other side the environment in which we live and what we eat has become more unhealthy.
Here is what is happening, children are doing different activities and are exposed to more marketing messages than 20 years ago. A typical child goes to school eats some snack, then comes back to home to eat some fast food or food with almost no nutrients, then the child goes to his room to watch tv or play video games for 5 hours eating his favorite soda and candies.
That kind of behavior is not the same for everybody but is this kind of behavior that is causing children to have a more sedentary life with less physical activities and less nutritional food.
If you search at images.google.com you will find some childhood obesity graphs that show how the increase of obesity has doubled.
Now, there is another problem the media has a huge impact on our children and our lives, we are not even aware of that. A typical kid is exposed to 40,000 ads every years, promoting candy, snacks and junk food most of the time.
Children spend a lot of time on tv and they are constantly exposed to adverting of unhealthy cheap products and fast food. It has become very convenient to not cook and buy fast food for our homes. Also kids that watch tv eat junk food while watching and avoid doing exercise. And even when they go to the grocery store or supermarket the most accessible and cheap food are snacks, sodas and candy.
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between obesity and tv. In one study, it was shown that kids that watched 5 hours of tv had 4 times more probability of having obesity.
If necessary you should consult your pediatrician and ask for advice, there needs to be more education in schools and at home of the risks of obesity and tell children how to have a healthy lifestyle. Our environment does not help so you have to look for a way and a plan to get balanced meals and more physical activities.
Quick Tip #1
Dont take your child to eat Fast Food, avoid the the most you can. |
Quick Tip #2
Encourage your child to practice Sports and Take him with his friends to play |
Quick Tip #3
Avoid eating too much Sugar, if you child eats too much sugar or junk foods and watchs TV all day, he will get obese. |
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