Children in America in regards to health suffer from many more health issues and the main reason is the obesity in America. Over 50 percent of the American population is overweight and one-quarter have reached dangerous obesity levels. Personal lifestyles have lost the get up and go, to get up and eat! Consuming high levels of non-nutritional foods is leading to many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiac arrests, and other preventable illnesses. Its nothing to see a 300 pound plus man or woman. We are now conditioned to buy larger sizes and pay more for the extra x. have gotten so used to see it that we don’t even think twice when we see it. Now lets back this up one step, what about a 300 pound boy or girl who is 8 or 9.

Now we have a problem. The reason why kids are getting t obese is because they consume unhealthy foods that contain too much sugar, fats, and oils. They are not eating nutritional foods that are demanded by the food guide pyramid, which emphasizes the consumption of adequate fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. People of this generation prefer to have everything quick and efficient, which includes their food. Americans are fast-food junkies and are languid so they cannot cook their own meals. Top fast food industries try to manipulate our minds by using subliminal perception or mass marketing to attract us. Fast food chains spend excessive amounts of money on advertisement to ensure that children know what new toy the happy meal is promoting this week or what restaurants allow kids to eat free on Tuesday nights. For example, parents are taking an enormous step to prevent their children to be induced by these elaborate commercial that they are filing a class action suit against the Nickelodeon channel for displaying commercials that influence children to eat unhealthy foods.

Another reason why children are corpulent is because the poor food choices in public schools through out the United States. Instead of having numerous contracts with the soda and chip vendors, they should try healthier approaches to children. Studies indicate that nutritional food consumption by children has a direct correlation with their academic performance in schools. Since the government is overly concerned with “The No Child Left Behind” act that they totally disregard health and physical education programs in public schools. After enacting this infamous law, state legislatures and school official have put their full attention towards better programs that help students excel in the standardize tests that the state uses to evaluate each student’s intelligence. Perhaps if we provide these students with healthier foods and physical activity daily they will excel in these standardize test and as well as in their class. Published Saturday, February 11, 2006 11:04 AM by salmonte Comments KRobbin3 said: I completely agree with you on this one. People nowadays are living lifestyles where exercise is not a priority.

 Childrens’ toys such as hoolahoop, bop- it, jump robe, bicycle ect are being replaced with video games. Children are spending costless hours playing these games, surfing the web and watching the boob tube. American culture is becoming a very lazy one. The children watch the parents who are bringing home McDonalds and the people on tv who are playing the latest video game. Obesity is becoming the norm and this is not exceptable. It is a health risk and it pertrays laziness & glutany. Not Good– February 11, 2006 4:52 PM Home Homepage Childhood Obesity Statistics and Facts January 2007 General Stats According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese — a number that has tripled since 1980. In addition to the 16 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 who were overweight in 1999-2002, another 15 percent were considered at risk of becoming overweight. (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002”; Oct. 6, 2004) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002”; Oct. 6, 2004) Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80 percent if one or more parent is overweight or obese. (United States Department of Health and Human Services) Costs/Socioeconomics Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children and youth more than tripled over two decades, rising from $35 million in 1979-1981 to $127 million in 1997-1999. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.) Adolescents with no insurance or public insurance such as Medicaid are more likely than those covered by other insurance to be overweight, according to a 2003 study. ( J.S. Haas et al. (2003) The association of race, socioeconomic status, and health insurance status with the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 2105-2110.) Among white teen girls, the prevalence of overweight decreases with increasing socioeconomic status. Among black teen girls, the prevalence of overweight remains the same or increases with increasing socioeconomic status.(P. Gordon-Larsen et al. (2003) The relationship of ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, and overweight in U.S. adolescents. Obesity Research, 11, 121-129.) Exercise Experts agree that inactivity and poor eating habits contribute to obesity. While national guidelines recommend 150 minutes of physical activity each week for elementary children and 225 minutes for older children, only Illinois has a statewide requirement for daily physical education. Nutrition Nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day, resulting in approximately six extra pounds per year, per child. Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970. (“Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey,” Pediatrics, January 2004.) Obesity-related Disease For children born in the United States in 2000, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives is estimated to be about 30 percent for boys and 40 percent for girls. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.) In case reports limited to the 1990s, Type 2 diabetes accounted for 8 to 45 percent of all new pediatric cases of diabetes, in contrast with fewer than 4 percent before the 1990s. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.) In a population-based sample, approximately 60 percent of obese children aged 5 to 10 years had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or blood pressure, and 25 percent had two or more risk factors. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.) Data from the NACHRI Case Mix Program show inpatient diabetes cases in children’s hospitals have increased approximately 12 percent between 2002 and 2004, and average adjusted estimated costs have grown approximately 10 percent during the same time frame. (Information pulled September 2005. NACHRI maintains the nation’s largest pediatric-specific inpatient database, housing over 3 million discharge records from 72 children’s hospitals.) Minority Data Among boys, the highest prevalence of obesity is observed in Hispanics. Among girls, the highest prevalence is observed in African Americans. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic black (21 percent) and Mexican-American adolescents (23 percent) ages 12-19 were more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic white adolescents (14 percent). (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002”; Oct. 6, 2004.) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mexican-American children ages 6-11 were more likely to be overweight (22 percent) than non-Hispanic black children (20 percent) and non-Hispanic white children (14 percent). (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002”; Oct. 6, 2004.)According to the statistics on obesity in America, at least 68% of Americans are overweight.! Of these people at least 2-3% are considered morbidly obese and require surgery for their survival. This statistic is astounding and has been confirmed by the National Institute of Diabetes. We are in the middle of an obesity epidemic in the United States! More than one out of three people is overweight. This can and will lead to future health problems. The American Heart Association stated that Obesity is on the top of the list as a major heart attack risk factor. Not only can obesity be linked to heart attacks , but strokes, high blood pressure, type 2 Diabetes, and cancer can also be added to the list. Other diseases related to obesity include depression, and cardiovascular disease.Obesity does not discriminate based on race or gender or even age.

Childhood obesity is the most heart breaking. There has been an astounding increase in childhood obesity in the last ten years. Technology, fast food, and the supersized mentality are contributing factors for childhood obesity. Our children are less active now than they have ever been. Video games and television help to keep our childern from being active outdoors. According to the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and My.WebMD.com website, over 25% of children in the United States are obese. Children who suffer from childhood obesity are more likely to suffer from adult obesity than children who have a healthy body weight. Over 85% of children diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes are obese. Children should not have to suffer from this disease. Parents should take an active role in raising children to be healthy conscious individuals so they will be less likely to suffer from these diseases. Obesity not only can cause early childhood diabetes,but can be damaging to the self esteem of these children

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