The children of today are becoming more obese because they are becoming lazier. They spend more time in front of the television than getting their daily exercise. Their growing bodies need exercise to lose baby fat before it becomes a serious problem. The growth of technology has had a major impact on the obesity of today’s children. This technology has replaced normal childhood play exercises with computer games that require less physical effort.
Because of technology in today’s society, the problem of child obesity has become tremendously intensified. First, what is child obesity? The term child obesity” refers to a child, a person between birth and puberty, who is extremely fat or corpulent (The American Heritage Dictionary 265,856). This disease is caused by a lack of exercise and overeating. Child obesity can cause many medical problems for a child who suffers from this disease.
Obesity is a widespread disease that is growing worse as technology increases. Furthermore, the lack of exercise plays a major role in childhood obesity. Scientists blame television as a substitute for outdoor sports, as kids are spending more time watching television than doing physical activities. The findings strongly support the notion that the most important lifestyle factor in childhood obesity is television watching (Monmaney). Television brings a child’s imagination to life, providing entertainment without the running and exercising of outdoor sports. The more television a child watches, the more obese they will become.
Next, the problem is getting so out of hand that the government is going to have to start getting involved. Satcher and Shirley Watkins, the undersecretary of agriculture for food, nutrition, and consumer services, said that TV increases obesity, stifles creativity, and shortens attention spans among young people” (Bauder). This is their reason for joining the campaign for a “TV-Free America.” It is estimated that an obese child watches an average of four hours and nine minutes of television each day. That is four hours that a child could be bonding with their family or taking action in some physical activity.
Thus, the problem with child obesity starts as young as infancy. If the child’s parents do not stress exercise, the child will find an alternative way to occupy their time. For example, playing a game cartridge rather than shooting hoops or flying a kite. The game cartridge provides cheap entertainment with very little fitness involved. Ross Andersen recommends that parents find alternatives to watching television for their children” (Joseph). A parent should do anything possible to get their kids away from the television.
Either make daily plans with timed intervals to limit the amount of television the child can watch or sign them up for YMCA sports activities. Even if the parent has a busy work schedule, they should make time to benefit the child. Although there are numerous prescription drugs for child obesity, the side effects are too risky for younger children. The easiest way to solve this well-known disease is by stopping the problem before it starts.
If you can intervene with overweight children before they are fully grown, you can often help them grow into their weight and prevent them from becoming overweight adults. Some overweight children don’t need to lose weight as much as they need to gain weight at a slower rate. Moving on, some children do not need to lose weight but need help growing into the weight they already have. They can use help to slow the rate at which they gain weight, making it easier for them to grow into it.
Plus, the health risk faced by children with the disease of child obesity is immense. More than 70 percent of all cases persist into adulthood (Mellin). Obesity during adult years is associated with increased rates of diseases such as hyperinsulinemia, coronary heart disease, angina, atherosclerosis, various cancers, orthopedic problems, and gout along with many other short-term and psychosocial consequences of obesity in children. Thus, the problem with child obesity has largely intensified. The management of obesity and overweight in children is an important issue.
Before obesity can be treated in children, it would be helpful to have a marker to identify children who are likely to become overweight or obese in adulthood. Parents and children can get a jump on what they need to do to beat this disease. The fight will not be easy, but with the encouragement of the family, they will be able to beat it together.
