Childhood obesity has more than tripled its 1980 rate. Whereas only 6.5 percent of children between ages 6 and 11 were obese in 1980, 19.6 percent were obese in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similarly, only 5 percent older kids and teens were obese in 1980 but 18.1 percent were obese in 2008. Understanding the underlying reasons for the surge in obesity rates is the first step in quelling the epidemic.
Poor Nutrition
Children have begun to eat more meals away from home, consume more high-calorie foods and drinks and eat larger portion sizes due to greater availability of convenience foods and a more prevalent "easy-prep" mentality, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Only about 21 percent of children eat their five-a-day of fruits and vegetables, yet 32 percent of teen girls and 52 percent of teen boys consume at least three 8-oz. servings of soda every day as of the mid-1990s.
Sedentary Pastimes
Kids are spending increasing amounts of time in front of electronic devices such as television, video game systems and computers. As a result, they spend fewer hours engaging in active outdoor play, though current guidelines recommend that kids should get at least one hour of physical activity most days of the week. Additionally, children under age six spend about two hours per day in front of a television and older kids and teens get in about four hours of television time per day, according to KidsHealth. When combined with time in front of video games and computers, screen time reaches over five hours a day for older kids. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time for children younger than 2 and recommends limiting screen time to one or two hours for older kids.
Family Factors
Family members tend to have similar physical activity levels, similar eating habits and similar attitudes about weight. A child has a 50 percent chance of being obese if one parent is obese and an 80 percent chance of being obese if both parents are obese, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Genes can help determine a child's body type, but the recent increases in obese American children aren't correlated with genetic influences; genetic compositions don't change rapidly enough to cause such as spike within a span of a few decades. Family habits are a primary culprit. For example, parents are responsible for deciding to encourage sedentary hobbies or take their families on active outings such as hiking trips. They also influence what their children eat, whether they regularly buy their kids unhealthy foods or tempt their kids to eat unhealthy foods by strictly forbidding them.
Unsupportive Environment
Aside from home environment, childcare settings, school, and the community at large may contribute to the increase in childhood obesity. For examples, most gym classes in public schools don't offer children their daily minimum 60 minutes of exercise, many school lunch programs don't all offer children nutritionally sound choices and some communities don't offer children bike paths and parks to encourage physical activity.
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