Causes of the Obesity Epidemic Affecting American Children - Essay Example

In the United s, everything is bigger than usual. Americans have big cars, houses, food, and even people. To many people, America is the fattestnation on earth. According to a report from the Obesity Society, more than 100,000 billion Americans are obese, while more than 400,000 Americans die each year due to obesity. Also, the rate of type II diabetes has tripled in the last thirty years. More tellingly, at least eighty percent of children diagnosed with type II diabetes are overweight. In addition, the report has claimed that the cases of childhood diabetes will increase by seventy percent by 2020 (obesity.com 3). Obesity affects not only adults, but also children and youth. It has become a serious health problem and has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More than this, it is threatening to become a global epidemic. There are four main factors that can cause obesity: the environment, a person’s eating habits, physical activity, and genetics. First of all, the environment plays the most important role in obesity. In the current environment of the United States, American children have access to unhealthy foods throughout schools and society in general. American children spend most of their time at school. Because they are there for so long, they need to have meals, drinks, and snacks there. However, most schools in the United States provide a great deal of unhealthy foods such as fried foods, hamburgers, and sugary drinks through vending machines, the school cafeteria, at fundraising events, and at sporting events. In contrast, there is a lack of healthy food choices such as vegetables and fresh fruit. Children who are always eating unhealthy food may gain body fat more easily, and this increases calories, which leads to obesity. Moreover, in society, fast food restaurants exist almost everywhere. The typical boulevard has at least four fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, and Jack in the Box. Among these fast food restaurants, McDonald is the most popular. The documentary Super Size Me states that “McDonald’s represents around 43 percent of the American fast food market.” In addition, there are many fast food restaurants that are located close to high schools and colleges. The reason is that it is convenient for students to have their lunch nearby their place of study. Furthermore, advertising is also an environmental factor that may lead to greater obesity. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation released a study in 2007 stating that, “many food companies spend more than 12 billion dollars each year to market their products to children and adolescents. In these advertisements, about 34 percent feature candy and snacks, 28 percent show cereal, and 10 percent contain fast food. Only four percent of all food commercials are for healthy dairy products. Also, only one percent shows the benefits of fruit juice (Henry J. Kaiser 1).” Children usually spend a lot of their time in front of the television. For this reason, they are exposed to these advertisements. The food advertisements that children see on television influence them by encouraging unhealthy food choices. Also, there are special endorsements between food products and popular television programs and actors, who encourage children to buy and eat high-calorie food. Secondly, eating habits also play an important role in the advancement of obesity. Americans usually opt for taste and convenience more than nutrition. Throughout the United States, most fast food restaurants offer the “super sizing” of menu items. These special deals are more enticing to customers because they are cheaper. In order to get the best value, people will mostly choose the biggest size, which will lead them to consume more calories and gain unwanted body fat. Using McDonalds as an example, a Big Mac set comes with a Big Mac burger, French fries, and a soft drink. A super sized Big Mac set contains about 1390 calories (Big Mac burger is 540 calories, 5.4 ounces of French fries is 500 calories, and a 32 fluid ounce soft drink is 350 calories). This is far superior to the regular size, which contains only 920 calories (Big Mac burger is 540 calories, 2.4 ounces of French fries is 230 calories, and a 16 fluid ounce soft drink is 150 calories) [McDonald.com]. Therefore, it is obviously to see that people who order a super size set are more likely to gain calories than those who choose a regular size set. Also, the former are more likely to become obese. On the other hand, according to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “forty percent of American families eat outside the home.” Traditionally, American families used to stay home for dinner every night (parents would help their children to make lunch boxes instead of giving them money to buy lunch at fast food restaurants). Homemade food is considered to be healthier, as it is possible to control how much sugar and salt is added into the food. The most important issue is guaranteeing there is no monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the food. However, modern Americans are more rushed than past generations. In order to have more time to work, parents often give money to their children so that they can buy lunch and dinner outside the house with their friends. They think this will save them more time, which they can spend on their work. Children dining out frequently is not good because they may consume a greater amount calories and sugar, which will endanger their health and can cause diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Thirdly, physical inactivity is one of the main factors leading to obesity. According to an article written by Traci Brosman, “physical education budgets in many school districts have taken huge hits because the state government does not give enough money to each school district.” Due to these budget cuts, fewer teachers are employed and less equipment purchased for gym classes and after-school activities. A few years ago, physical education departments in schools offered many free physical activity options, such as basketball training classes, soccer classes, and badminton competitions. Physical education was also mandatory for all students; most students were involved in sports for at least sixty minutes every day. However, nowadays many students have only a few hours of access to physical education lessons per week. Also, many schools have begun to charge nominal fees for students to participate in school sports. Some students cannot afford these fees, forcing them to opt out of sports. The strenuous and fun physical games for children of generations past are being replaced by less stimulating games that do not require the active involvement of all participants. Furthermore, children in the past usually spent the majority of their time playing outside with their friends or siblings in the backyard, which is no longer the case. On the other hand, forms of entertainment have drastically changed in modern times, and technology now has a great impact on daily life. Children now spend their spare time playing video games, watching television, and sitting in front of their computers. In addition, the children of today are driven to school in cars instead of walking. According to research by Vienna Patch, “today, less than 15 percent of children walk or bike to school, down from fifty percent in 1969 (when eighty-seven percent of children living within one mile of school did) [Anderson 1].” Today’s children are much less likely to walk to school, the bus stop, or the park. They do not bike a few miles to the pool during summer, and do not jog to the local ballpark. Parents no longer walk their kids to their friends’ houses, but rather drive them a few blocks away due to time constraints or reasons of safety. Due to these lower levels of activity, children expend less energy, and much of calories and fat they consume are accumulated in the body. When energy expenditure is less than energy intake, the result is obesity. Lastly, genetic inheritance is also an important factor that leads to obesity. According to a study conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “fifty to seventy percent of a person’s BMI and degree of adiposity is determined by genetic influences and there is a seventy-five percent chance that a child will be overweight if both parents are obese, and a twenty-five to fifty percent chance if just one parent is obese.” Family members share not only genes but also diet and lifestyle habits. Children tend to imitate their parents’ diet and lifestyle. If their parents usually eat fast food or sit in front of the computer or television, children are likely to do the same things. Therefore, parents must lead by example, which means parents must also follow a nutritional and exercise plan that leads to a healthy weight. The childhood obesity epidemic has already become a serious public health problem in the United States. The main factor that causes obesity is environment, because children have easy access to fast foods at school and in our convenience-directed society. Also, in order to allow more time to their work, parents usually give money to their children so they can buy lunch and dinner outside the home. In addition, American children have become inactive due to the increase in technology and recent budget cuts. Moreover, genetic inheritance is also a factor that influences obesity. All of these issues can cause childhood obesity and other long-term effects such as inheritable diseases. In order to reduce the rate of obesity in children, the government, schools, and parents must take responsibility for educating the next generation in how to become healthier. Read More