The issue of obesity in children has increased dramatically over the years and it will continue to increase unless action is taken. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see overweight children who are between the ages of five and seven. Fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, encourage children to eat these unhealthy foods by giving them a free toy with their meal. Schools also have an impact on children’s eating habits because it’s where they spend most of their time. Many school lunches consist of chicken nuggets and pizza, and not enough fruit or vegetables. The biggest concern is that parents do not encourage healthy eating habits. With so many adults being overweight and not eating healthy, children will develop these eating
…show more content…
Too many children today spend most of their time being inactive. “The average child spends approximately four hours each day watching television” (Preventing Obesity). With video games, computers, and phones being as popular as they are today, exercise in children has dramatically decreased. On average, a child should participate in physical activity for a minimum of sixty minutes a day. “Only 29% of high school students participated in the recommended sixty minutes of exercise a day” (Medilexicon). Children do not get the encouragement to do physical activity like they should, therefore they chose not to be …show more content…
There are countless techniques to help reduce childhood obesity. What parents could do to reduce obesity is encourage their child to go outside and play and educate themselves about the risks of obesity. If a child is overweight it is always important to be supportive. Because children look up to their parents, “Children 's feelings about themselves often are based on their parents ' feelings about them, and if you accept your children at any weight, they will be more likely to feel good about themselves” (Preventing Obesity). It is never ok to make a child feel ashamed of their weight. To make them not feel excluded from the rest of the family, involving the whole family in physical activities could benefit both the child and family. By including the whole family is an effective way to help a child change his or her lifestyle; if everyone is doing the same activities it can be more encouraging. Children often mimic everything their parents do, so if parents eat healthy then the child will learn those habits
Too many children today spend most of their time being inactive. “The average child spends approximately four hours each day watching television” (Preventing Obesity). With video games, computers, and phones being as popular as they are today, exercise in children has dramatically decreased. On average, a child should participate in physical activity for a minimum of sixty minutes a day. “Only 29% of high school students participated in the recommended sixty minutes of exercise a day” (Medilexicon). Children do not get the encouragement to do physical activity like they should, therefore they chose not to be …show more content…
There are countless techniques to help reduce childhood obesity. What parents could do to reduce obesity is encourage their child to go outside and play and educate themselves about the risks of obesity. If a child is overweight it is always important to be supportive. Because children look up to their parents, “Children 's feelings about themselves often are based on their parents ' feelings about them, and if you accept your children at any weight, they will be more likely to feel good about themselves” (Preventing Obesity). It is never ok to make a child feel ashamed of their weight. To make them not feel excluded from the rest of the family, involving the whole family in physical activities could benefit both the child and family. By including the whole family is an effective way to help a child change his or her lifestyle; if everyone is doing the same activities it can be more encouraging. Children often mimic everything their parents do, so if parents eat healthy then the child will learn those habits