Obesity Among Youngsters

[charlesando]

The issue of obesity among young people is rapidly increasing. It is quickly becoming more prevalent among youngsters and teens with the blame game being played and their habits eating junk food and their overeating habits. Who is responsible for the extra weight? What can and needs to be done to reduce the obesity among them?

 

[ChefChiTown]

The issue of obesity among young people is rapidly increasing. It is quickly becoming more prevalent among youngsters and teens with the blame game being played and their habits eating junk food and their overeating habits. Who is responsible for the extra weight? What can and needs to be done to reduce the obesity among them?

Who is responsible for childhood obesity? Barack Obama. We blame everything else on our "black President," why not childhood obesity?

No, but seriously...it's a combination of the parents' and childrens' fault. Parents don't do a good enough job of educating their kids about health and controlling what they eat, while children think that they can do whatever they want and not have to suffer consequences.

 

[Snezy]

This is a very complex problem, mostly because of the way our society has changed in the last few decades. Parents were not taught, as children, how to eat healthy, or the need for exercise in a healthy lifestyle. Mostly, because they didn't need to. They lived in an age where enough calories were burned by playing outside until the street lights turned on or doing their daily chores. And although that this may not be the direct case for everyone I feel it holds somewhat true for most families. A majority of children in today's age pass time by playing video games, watching TV, and other stationary activities, chores have been simplified, or been made trivial by advances in technology. And although the parents are teaching their children the same values that they were taught as kids, their children are gaining weight. I don't believe we can say it's anyone's 'fault', it's an issue that our society has encountered because of our changing lifestyle. If we cannot adapt to this issue, then our society fails on a whole. And such is the story of evolution.

Education is needed for new parents so they can learn the values they need to raise their children in a healthy environment. Their children need head the advice given to them by their parents. It's a full system and if one part of it fails, all of it fails.

 

[myungsupah]

I was a fat kid. I'm in college and I fit what I wore in 8th grade (and I'm still pretty overweight). I had no idea I was eating bad. We've all heard that hamburgers and bad and we shouldn't eat til we're full. It was the "just one more won't hurt" mentality.

Also my parents were in completely denial. They denied that I was vastly obese.

Upon retrospect, I think it's the parents' duty to man up and accept that they are harming their children. I don't think a kid can fully comprehend how bad processed meat is or how unfortunate diabetes is, etc. It's simply not tangible to them.

 

[Albion8662]

I must agreed with this fact most of the youngster now a days seems to be carrying a fat belly, these are just happen due to emotional eating and lack of doing exercises which must be embarrassing for youngsters.

 

[chelsea_morning]

I agree. I was a fat kid too and, although my parents recognized it and tried to make an effort at making me healthier, food was used in an emotional way. Always emotional. It was always, we did well today, let's get ice cream, it's the weekend, we worked hard at work so we can have pizza on Friday night, funerals have big buffet luncheons aftewards, graduations are celebrated with huge dinners and keggars, births are celebrated with cake and ice cream, birthdays have big dinners to celebrate, etc. I can remember at the end of my first week at a "get healthy" program at a hospital in my town, my mom said that we did really well, and took me to get ICE CREAM. I was in sixth or seventh grade and weighed between 180-200lbs as an 11 or 12 year old. We did well at weight loss class, let's have ice cream? Where is the logic in that? But I understand now that my mom meant well. The only way she knew how to express her happiness with my success that week was to buy me food, because she knew that food made me happy. Instead of just telling me how proud she was and knowing that it would suffice, she had to show her affection through food.

Now as an adult I am trying to overcome that. In the evenings especially I have to understand that my cravings for something sweet stem from the fact that I am tired and want to reward myself, as opposed to actually needing the calories from the food to survive. So I have to find other things that I enjoy doing or that are treats to me. Sometimes in the grocery store I will buy a magazine and keep it around the house for the evenings, so that I can read some articles or look at fashion or gossip. But really, when it comes down to it, nothing makes me feel the way that food does, which is scary and depressing to me. But that is my job to recognize it and change it!!! And I don't think children can do that. It is so hard for kids to understand the connection between emotions and food, and how unhealthy it is to have such a strong connection. Even adults can't figure it out!!!!

 

[mango africa]

obesity in the US along is 66.7% and the US is the third among the world with it. The first spot belongs to american samoans. (WHO 2005-2008 survey of top ten fattest countries.) It's very sad to see the prevalence of obesity especially among young kids as they can be diagnose with juvenile diabetes. But I believe that with a little guidance and simple alteration of food choices, kids can be healthy again, especially kid's today. (they are smarter than we use to be )

 

[crook.thomas123]

Obesity is a very common problem that is seen in youngsters. This problem generally persists due to the following :

1. poor eating habits
2. overeating or binging
3. lack of exercise (i.e., couch potato kids)
4. family history of obesity
5. medical illnesses (endocrine, neurological problems)
So, people should take care of these points so that this problem may not be big.

 

[Spinner19641]

I think a lot of the problem is processed or partially processed foods.

People are forgetting how to cook from scratch and using a lot of fully prepared or partially prepared foods which come with a lot additives, salt, sugar and fats.

And then the next generation copy their parents and don't have any idea that some of these foods are low in nutrition and high in calories plus they have a belief processed and partially processed foods are fine.

I was taught to cook and when I decided to improve my diet knowing the basis of cooking and how to work with baseline ingredients really helped.