As of 2011, one out of every three children in the United States is considered overweight or obese. While some parents claim their children are merely "big boned," genetics plays only a small role in the larger weight-equation. Lifestyle and socioeconomic factors added together create this preventable health problem.
Unhealthy Diets
The U.S. diet plays a strong role in the current childhood overweight and obesity epidemic. Parents often rely on fast food and prepared meals instead of cooking nutritious meals at home. As a whole, both parents and restaurants put too much food on a child's plate, confusing the child as to proper portion size. Additionally, many parents reward their children for "cleaning their plates," encouraging children to eat past the point of full. Children also snack on high-calorie foods, sugary treats and drink soft drinks, which have no nutritional value.
Inadequate Exercise
Children are wired in now more than ever, finding entertainment in the form of a TV program, video game, computer game or phone application. Instead of spending the time exercising, children ages 6 years and older spend on average, more than five hours in front of these devices. Physical activity has also decreased at school where daily participation in physical education dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Home Environment
Children learn from adults, of which over two-thirds age 20 or older are overweight in America. Children adopt their parents' eating habits and attitudes toward diet, exercise and weight. If overweight parents don't make an effort to lose weight and eat right, their children might see nothing wrong with the unhealthful lifestyle. The environment surrounding the home also plays a role. When children live in neighborhoods that are unsafe or lack sidewalks and parks, they have less of an opportunity to play outside.
Income Disparities
Children whose families have less money have less access to nutritious food and less time to spend planning and preparing nutritious meals. Low-income parents also lack the financial resources to enroll their children in after school sports. In U.S. school districts, the proportion of children eligible for free school meals because of low income is a reliable predictor of childhood obesity rates, according to a November 2008 Diabetes Care article. Lower-cost foods, which tend to be high in calories but low in nutrition, make up an increased proportion of the diet of lower-income individuals, the study adds.
References
- KidsHealth: Overweight and Obesity
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; The Influence of Food Portion Size and Energy Density on Energy Intake: Implications for Weight Management; Julia A Ello-Martin, et al.; July 2005
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Overweight and Obesity
- Weight-control Information Network: Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity
- "Diabetes Care"; Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment; Sonia Caprio, et al.; November 2008
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