The magnitude of obese children has exponentially grown to 2 million obese children and more than 23 million overweight children over the last few decades (A Healthier America 2014). How those numbers came about is the result of children choosing a poor diet and inactive lifestyle, which leads to gaining excess fat. According to the Prevention Institute (2014), “nearly 40% of children’s diets come from added sugars and unhealthy fats”. Children today eat vast amounts of fried and fast food options as well as a number of sugar-sweetened beverages (Prevention Institute 2014).
Food is one factor that has led to the severe magnitude of obese children in the United States. The sedentary lifestyle also attributes greatly to the excess weight. “There are 10 million totally sedentary children in America and 33 million children who are not active to healthy standards. Research clearly shows an inactive child does not …show more content…
The results conclude that children in poverty consume around 13% of their calories from fast food. Fast food restaurants and sugary beverages are becoming even more accessible and affordable today to those Americans who represent the lower socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, fruits, vegetables and more nutritious food options can be too expensive for some families to buy frequently; therefore, their options tend to be more limited than high-income families. The environment in which children live in can also greatly influence their lifestyle. If there are little to no public parks, swimming pools, and safe roads to bike and run, the likelihood of children to be physically active is slim. Over the past few years the Internet, video games and the amount of TV watched has exponentially increased as well, which does not allow kids to burn off energy and calories. Consequently, inactivity and unhealthy foods can lead to numerous health risks for obese
Food is one factor that has led to the severe magnitude of obese children in the United States. The sedentary lifestyle also attributes greatly to the excess weight. “There are 10 million totally sedentary children in America and 33 million children who are not active to healthy standards. Research clearly shows an inactive child does not …show more content…
The results conclude that children in poverty consume around 13% of their calories from fast food. Fast food restaurants and sugary beverages are becoming even more accessible and affordable today to those Americans who represent the lower socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, fruits, vegetables and more nutritious food options can be too expensive for some families to buy frequently; therefore, their options tend to be more limited than high-income families. The environment in which children live in can also greatly influence their lifestyle. If there are little to no public parks, swimming pools, and safe roads to bike and run, the likelihood of children to be physically active is slim. Over the past few years the Internet, video games and the amount of TV watched has exponentially increased as well, which does not allow kids to burn off energy and calories. Consequently, inactivity and unhealthy foods can lead to numerous health risks for obese