“A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut; Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut!” As the children do this dance and sing along to this fast food song, adults just smile and clap their hands but there’s something deeper to this. The fast food song that has been made for children proves that there’s obesity currently happening. Who have the childhood obesity be blamed on? Could it be blame on the society we live in today or could we blame the same parents that are smiling and cheering after the children present the fast food song to them?
Childhood obesity is being more common to the children in the United States each year. The causes of obesity in children are lack of physical activity and poor dieting. The percentage in childhood obesity increased from 7% in 1980 to 20% in 2008 from ages 6-11 years old. Some ways obesity in children could be increased by replacing a healthy home cooked meal with a pizza, replacing walking or using public transportation with cars, and replacing outdoor activities with video games. There are very dangerous risks to obese children. Heart disease and blood pressure are the main most dangerous risks for obese children.
Many parents of the United States seem to blame the fast food restaurants for childhood obesity. Some parents feel that if the restaurants weren’t advertised to catch the child’s attention then the children wouldn’t want it as much. For example, that feel that adding a play area for children in some McDonalds restaurants make the children want to go. Other parents believe that there are not any healthy foods for children on the menu. McDonalds’ happy meals use to consist of a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets, small french-fries, a drink, and a toy. But today’s happy meal, you could alternate french-fries for apples; the drink for chocolate or regular milk, and they also reduced the salt on french-fries and provided nutrition facts. Even though the alternatives became healthier, why is the percentage of childhood obesity currently increasing?
Parents always seem to be the main ones pointing fingers at fast food restaurants but they could be to blame without them even knowing their harming their children. There are many single mothers in the United States and many of them are young, still in college, and working. If a parent work 40 plus hours a week while attending college full-time, there’s no time for them to make dinner for their child. So instead of cooking for 30 minutes to an hour, they choose the quickest route that also makes their child happy which is a fast food restaurant. There are many parents who think their child can’t get obese by eating takeout food once a day. They’re wrong. The environment the children live in could also affect his outside activities. If you live in a not so good neighborhood or it’s dangerous, most parents wouldn’t want their child outside no matter how much the child wants to. The child has no other choice but to watch television or play videos games which would cause your child to become a couch potato. One thing parents don’t understand is that children are copycats. If the parent’s eating habits are not healthy, the child most likely won’t be healthy. If the child see you eating Wendy’s’ and drinking soda all the time, the child would do the same and think its right. But when the child sees their parent eating healthier and active, your child would be the exact same way. But when the child’s parent happens to be obese and can’t move and still eating unhealthy, the child is most likely going to be the same exact way. Parents are the only ones that could make sure that their child is happy. Make home cooked meals, go running with your child or let them join extracurricular activities, change your eating habits.
Childhood obesity is being more common to the children in the United States each year. The causes of obesity in children are lack of physical activity and poor dieting. The percentage in childhood obesity increased from 7% in 1980 to 20% in 2008 from ages 6-11 years old. Some ways obesity in children could be increased by replacing a healthy home cooked meal with a pizza, replacing walking or using public transportation with cars, and replacing outdoor activities with video games. There are very dangerous risks to obese children. Heart disease and blood pressure are the main most dangerous risks for obese children.
Many parents of the United States seem to blame the fast food restaurants for childhood obesity. Some parents feel that if the restaurants weren’t advertised to catch the child’s attention then the children wouldn’t want it as much. For example, that feel that adding a play area for children in some McDonalds restaurants make the children want to go. Other parents believe that there are not any healthy foods for children on the menu. McDonalds’ happy meals use to consist of a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets, small french-fries, a drink, and a toy. But today’s happy meal, you could alternate french-fries for apples; the drink for chocolate or regular milk, and they also reduced the salt on french-fries and provided nutrition facts. Even though the alternatives became healthier, why is the percentage of childhood obesity currently increasing?
Parents always seem to be the main ones pointing fingers at fast food restaurants but they could be to blame without them even knowing their harming their children. There are many single mothers in the United States and many of them are young, still in college, and working. If a parent work 40 plus hours a week while attending college full-time, there’s no time for them to make dinner for their child. So instead of cooking for 30 minutes to an hour, they choose the quickest route that also makes their child happy which is a fast food restaurant. There are many parents who think their child can’t get obese by eating takeout food once a day. They’re wrong. The environment the children live in could also affect his outside activities. If you live in a not so good neighborhood or it’s dangerous, most parents wouldn’t want their child outside no matter how much the child wants to. The child has no other choice but to watch television or play videos games which would cause your child to become a couch potato. One thing parents don’t understand is that children are copycats. If the parent’s eating habits are not healthy, the child most likely won’t be healthy. If the child see you eating Wendy’s’ and drinking soda all the time, the child would do the same and think its right. But when the child sees their parent eating healthier and active, your child would be the exact same way. But when the child’s parent happens to be obese and can’t move and still eating unhealthy, the child is most likely going to be the same exact way. Parents are the only ones that could make sure that their child is happy. Make home cooked meals, go running with your child or let them join extracurricular activities, change your eating habits.
Works Cited
"Are Parents to Blame for Childhood Obesity?" Are Parents to Blame for Childhood Obesity? N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/01/parents-blame-childhood-obesity.html>.
"Child Obesity." Personal interview. 26 Oct. 2012. Web.
Drotz, Keeley C. Poisoning of Our Children: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic in America. [S.l.]: Tcbg Nutrition, 2012. Print.
"Obese Parents Increase Kids' Risk of Being Overweight." Obese Parents Increase Kids' Risk of Being Overweight. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://news.stanford.edu/news/2004/july21/med-obesity-721.html>.
"Parents Blamed for Childhood Obesity." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/3293-parents-blamed-childhood-obesity.html>.
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16532663>.
Satter, Ellyn. Your Child's Weight: Helping without Harming : Birth through Adolescence. Madison, WI: Kelcy, 2005. Print.
Tartamella, Lisa, Elaine Herscher, and Chris Woolston. Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from an Epidemic of Obesity. New York: Basic, 2004. Print.
Tavares, Teri. Obese Children What Causes Today's Children to Be Overweight and Obese. N.p.: n.p., 1995. Print.
Quaade, Flemming. Obese Children: Anthropology and Environment. Kopenhagen: n.p., 1955. Print.
"Are Parents to Blame for Childhood Obesity?" Are Parents to Blame for Childhood Obesity? N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/01/parents-blame-childhood-obesity.html>.
"Child Obesity." Personal interview. 26 Oct. 2012. Web.
Drotz, Keeley C. Poisoning of Our Children: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic in America. [S.l.]: Tcbg Nutrition, 2012. Print.
"Obese Parents Increase Kids' Risk of Being Overweight." Obese Parents Increase Kids' Risk of Being Overweight. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://news.stanford.edu/news/2004/july21/med-obesity-721.html>.
"Parents Blamed for Childhood Obesity." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/3293-parents-blamed-childhood-obesity.html>.
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16532663>.
Satter, Ellyn. Your Child's Weight: Helping without Harming : Birth through Adolescence. Madison, WI: Kelcy, 2005. Print.
Tartamella, Lisa, Elaine Herscher, and Chris Woolston. Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from an Epidemic of Obesity. New York: Basic, 2004. Print.
Tavares, Teri. Obese Children What Causes Today's Children to Be Overweight and Obese. N.p.: n.p., 1995. Print.
Quaade, Flemming. Obese Children: Anthropology and Environment. Kopenhagen: n.p., 1955. Print.