Obesity in kids is a matter of fact that commonly seen, and the number of obese children keeps increasing worldwide. Obesity in kids is more likely seen if their parents are obese. Anyway, the main reason is not genetic factors, but the fact that the families tend to share eating and activity habits. In other words, most children eat too much and put on excess weight due to unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity.
Obesity in kids: Unhealthy diet
Obesity in kids is commonly seen nowadays because high-calorie foods such as fast food and confectionery are heavily promoted to public especially children. If the adults’ decision are deeply affected by the advertising, what do you think the kids?
A study published by The American Academy of Pediatrics reveals that eating fast food negatively impacts the diets of American children in ways that could increase risk of obesity in kids. Early exposure to fatty food could reconfigure children’s bodies so that they always choose fatty foods, causing obesity in kids’ issue.
More worrying is bad eating habits established in early life often extend into adulthood. This means obesity in kids is just the beginning of the story. Obese children are likely to become obese adults. A study revealed in the New Scientist found that when young rats are fed in a high-fat diet, they invariably became obese later in life.
In the report, it is found that raised levels of fats called triglycerides in the bloodstream turns on genes for neuro-peptides such as galanin that promote overating. This suggests that children fed kid’s meals at fast-food restaurants are more likely to grow up to be burger-bingeing adults. At that stage, they will be the group that needs a program for weight loss. That is why obesity in kids issue should be handled seriously.
Obesity in kids: Aggressive Marketing?
I cannot deny the role of advertising that affects the decision that most people make. Unless you aware and concern about the food your children eat will either create obesity in kids issue or bring them a healthy body weight, you normally will decide based on subconscious mind, that affected deeply by the advertisement.
In fact, nutrition advocates and some doctors’ group overseas insist that the food industry, which spends billions of dollars each year on advertising for junk food and sugary drinks, should share some blame for the creeping problem of obesity in kids and adults. In the Unite States for example, McDonald;s and Burger King together spent more that US$1 billion on advertising in 1999. The US National Cancer Institute’s “5-a-day” campaign promoting fruits and vegetables that same year had a budget of only US$1 million. The ratio is not better in 10 years later.
Is is found that quite a number of advertising is devoted to promote the foods that contribute to obesity. They are found heavily advertised on the television and specifically in connection with programs that children watch. According to the Worldwatch Institute, the States’ children are bombarded with 40,000 television ads per year, in which half of them promote unhealthy food and drinks. So, do you think that obesity in kids relates to the aggressive marketing strategies?
Obesity in kids: Start Aware the food
Remember that the food habits we acquire when young tend to persist throughout our lives. That is why we need to build the good diet habit for our children to avoid or reduce obesity in kids issue. When we eat, we do not need advertising to direct us. Of course, we do need a correct information about food and nutrition besides having regular exercise to maintain good health.
Obesity in kids could be avoided if we look seriously about the food we let our children eat. Let’s reduce the risk of health for our kids by reducing the number of obesity in kids.
