The Problem Of Childhood Obesity - 1261 Words

Why is it very common in the twenty-first century to see obese or overweight children in America? The answer is simple: fast food is convenient. Fast food restaurants are located just about everywhere, and it is extremely simple to find one on every corner. In his article â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater†, David Zinczenko explains that growing up â€Å"lunch and dinner†¦was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut† (241). The author indicates that these are still the only available options for children to get an affordable meal. Zinczenk explains that fast food has not changed. It is still cheap and not nutritious. The author goes on to demonstrate that it was fast food that led him to childhood obesity. In his†¦show more content†¦Childhood obesity is a serious threat to the health of our nation. Currently, the obesity rates among children of every age are greatly higher than they were a generation ago. I n the article â€Å"Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity: Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents† Green, Riley, and Hargrove state that â€Å"Today, more than 23 million U.S. children and adolescents are either obese or overweight† (915). The authors explain that overweight during childhood and adolescent years will greatly increase in cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many other health concerns (915). As a nation, we need to reduce theses health issues in the future to prevent millions of young people from being affected. In addition, a generation ago, fast food was not a great concern for people’s health. Green, Riley, and Hargrove explain that today â€Å"the numbers of [obesity] has more than tripled since 1981† (915). Before 1981, fast food companies were not a social norm. So, since fast food has become a social norm, this has led to obesity and many other concerning health problems. I believe that obesity is the consequ ence of Americans eating too much unhealthy food and consuming portions that are too large. Following this further, obesity is creating more complex problems that are affecting the health of the next generation. In his article â€Å"Obesity- Is It a Disease or a Lifestyle Problem?† Kiener states â€Å"Each year, the obesity-related diseases kill an