The Cause Of Childhood Obesity

A glaring stereotype of the United Sates, as viewed by the rest of the world, is that we are generally overweight. There is some truth to this stereotype, as a large portion of the population is overweight or obese in our country. A particularly depressing facet of this information is that even our own children are getting fatter. This is due to a number of causes that are similar to the causes of obesity in adults, which are poor diet, lack of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle due to the rise of technology, as well as parents that do not have control of their children. Childhood obesity is a frightening affliction that is a direct result of many contributing factors that are detrimental to the health and future of many children …show more content…
Parents should be in control of their children’s lives at least until adolescence. Therefore, parents should take most of the blame in this matter. There are some things outside of a parent’s control, like a poor genetic heritage of illness, but they should compensate for these deficiencies in how they raise their children. With lack of discipline instilled in their child, the child thinks they can do what they want and is usually not for the best. If parents are too easygoing, they are more likely to cave to what their child wants and are too afraid to tell them “no”. This is especially apparent when asking their kids what they want to eat, when a kid usually wants something sugary or unhealthy. Many neighborhoods and communities in this country do not have parks or playgrounds that are easily accessible to children. Kids mostly need to be driven to these places to get there safely and with adult supervision. If parents fail to take their kids out to parks or encourage them to play outside, the children will most likely stay in the house and watch television. The main reason children need to exercise is to burn off the energy they get from the foods they eat, and with the foods they are eating, exercise may be more critical than ever …show more content…
The most important step in solving childhood obesity is for the parent or authority figure in a child’s life to recognize the issue and immediately take control. A parent should be able to regulate what their child eats as well assay no to foods that are unhealthy. They also need to make time for their child and make sure that they are able to play outside in a safe place, like a public park. Parents need to be in charge of how long their children use electronics before the kid becomes addicted. Once the parents take charge and imprint a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits on their child, the kid will have a better sense of what to base their choices on for the rest of their lives to maintain that healthy