There are now 25 percent of adults who are classed as obese with a large percentage of the rest being overweight. Child obesity is also on the increase, with one in seven girls and one in six boys being obese. A child who is obese is likely to become an obese adult, falling prey to weight related illness such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes, possibly leading to an early death. There are many reasons for obesity in children adults.
Junk food and processed food is a large culprit for excess weight gain. It is easily available and advertisements make it tempting to buy. Junk food is tasty and easier than cooking a healthy meal from scratch. It is often easier to buy a takeaway meal rather than cook a meal which will take time and effort, especially with many families out at work and school all day. As children grow up with the constant display of advertisements for junk food and parents who eat processed foods, they will continue to eat this type of unhealthy food, leading to obesity.
A lack of exercise is also to blame for children and adults being overweight. There are many children’s exercise programmes being developed and introduced in areas where child obesity is a problem. The introduction of exercise from an early age, with the restriction of television and screen based activities would reduce the likelihood of a child becoming obese. Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated, even walking the dog or a game of football is adequate to keep a child healthy.
Poorer families tend to spend their money on the cheaper high calorie foods which are filling but not always as healthy as they could be. Processed foods tend to be cheaper as well as higher in fat, salt and sugar.
Food labelling plays a large part in the purchase of foods which are not healthy. It is often difficult to know exactly what food contains, with misleading statements being made on food labels. The only way to be sure is to read all labels, which is time consuming. Many ingredients in packed lunches are full of fat and sugar, but are labelled as being healthy alternatives. As parents are often short of time, these claims are taken at face value.
Child obesity is a global epidemic and can lead to premature death. The task of learning a new skill for employment or taking a computer course is acceptable and many people do this willingly. The same enthusiasm should be applied to the health of children. Help is available for parents to learn how to feed their children and help them to stay at an acceptable weight which will keep them healthy. There are many obstacles to overcome in the fight against child obesity but it is possible with a few changes to your lifestyle.
