Childhood Obesity-Is it out of Control? by Gary J Kidd
Childhood obesity is a huge problem in our society right now that not only affects the health of many American families, but our economy as a whole. In this blog, Gary Kidd states that nearly 15% of all children in the USA are officially obese, and numbers have continually been on the rise for the last three decades. Childhood obesity has officially become the biggest pediatric problem in healthcare within the USA.
I agree with Gary when he says that parents of these obese children are partially to blame for this condition. As a child, you are directly influenced by everything your parents do or fail to do for you. This includes personal hygiene, education, basic daily rituals, and even eating. If parents do not set a standard in their household regarding the consumption of food, their children will feel like they can eat anything they want, whenever they want. Additionally, without any guidance from parents, children will not learn the essentials of a well-balanced diet and overall nutrition. This is an essential part of growing up for children, and if they are not properly “trained”, they will learn to form bad habits and it will become difficult for them to emerge out of them.
In addition to parents, I think schools are equally to blame for childhood obesity, because it is the second most important influence in a child’s life. At an early age, children should be extensively taught the fundamentals of proper nutrition and how to form a well-balanced meal. However, teaching them isn’t enough. The food that is served in the cafeterias of public schools should be nutritious and there should be plenty of variety so children have many options to choose from. Nearly half of the children in school eat school meals, according to Gary. Instead of being conscious about the fact that it is cheaper to serve unhealthy food, schools need to realize that serving healthier food (for a little extra money) will have a positive effect on the economy as well because there will be an overall reduction in the number of health related cases due to overweight children.
I think childhood obesity is a huge problem that faces American families today and needs to be rectified. It all starts at home with proper influences and guidance. A healthy lifestyle is a smart one and it can benefit people in a multitude of different ways, more than initially perceived.
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