The study also says that kids are gaining weight up to 6 lbs per year on regular consumption of fast food. (Fast Food Effects on Health). This is an astonishing fact that definitely needs a lot of attention. Children are being diagnosed with serious health issues such as, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar at very young ages. Most children are not prone to these kinds of diseases until later in life, as adults.
At present, nearly 8% of children 4 to 5 years of age in the United States are overweight. Whereas, in general, the increases in prevalence cross the entire pediatric population, girls have been more affected than boys (Williams, C. L. 2001). Childhood is a critical period for shaping a healthy lifestyle. More kids are obese due to the lack of activity and the increase of calories. The average American parent(s) work a full- time job and that leaves less time to cook dinner; making
Burgers, French fries, sodas, milkshakes, ice cream, etc are just an example of the wide menu McDonald’s has to offer the consumer making it easy for them to order a highly caloric meal. This can lead to serious health problems like Obesity, heart problems, diabetes and even different types of cancer in the long run. Obesity: According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, between 16 and 33 percent of teenagers in the United States are obese. Teenagers are considered obese when they are 20 percent or more above the normal weight for their age and height. Obesity is caused by eating more calories than the body burns.
Advertising and Its Effects on Childhood Obesity It has been said many times before that children are our future. One of the most alarming statistics about our future is the ever-alarming rate of obesity and overweight children in the United States. “Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%” (Childhood Obesity).
In 2006, McDonalds’ revenue is above 20 billion U.S. Dollars just only at United States of America (McDonald’s Corporation 2007). From the revenue information, we can find out that Americans are really loved to eat fast-food. And this is causing adult obesity problem. In addition, the size of fast-food meals at United State of America is increasing and the super-size meal is very horrible.
When a teenager eats a McDonald’s double cheeseburger, large fries, and has a soft drink with it they are consuming up to 1131 calories where the average teen only needs between 1800 and 2100 calories per day. If there is a group to tell them how making better decisions will benefit them in the long run, they are more likely to choose better foods to eat. Choosing better foods can help prevent some of the health problems that obesity can cause, for example diabetes. People with obesity are 5 times more likely to develop diabetes. Another reason that teenage obesity is so common is lack of exercise.
Obesity is the most common medical condition-affecting children in the United States. The lack of sleep, genetic factors, parent’s influence, dietary habits, and physical inactivity cause children to be obese around the world. The first cause of their obesity is lack of sleep. According to Jeff Barnes, a study showed that children that lack sleep could be at risk of being obese. Barnes also stated that when you do not sleep, a hormone called
People who are obese are more likely to have health problems such as: high blood pressure, raised cholesterol high insulin levels, impaired glucose tolerance, type two diabetes, heart attacks, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, kidney problems and polycystic ovary syndrome. Not all children will have these health problems but doctors are finding these problems in children and the children are getting younger. As a whole childhood obesity puts children in harm’s way and the future of America. And that is why the cycle must be reversed. We owe to the country and the kids who live
As Richard Carmona states in “The Obesity Crisis In America,” “Nearly two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese”(1). Why are Americans so overweight? I believe the three main causes of obesity in America are; the lack of motivation to exercise, the convenience of fast food, and America’s perspective that everyone is fine just the way they are. One of the primary causes of obesity is simple; lack of exercise. If we don’t even bother to workout, do we expect to magically lose weight and stay healthy?
Most people could lose 10 to 25 pounds in a month. Not only did they lose the weight but their cholesterol is very high. None of the side effects are told to people in these two diets because the inventors want to sell their products for the desperate people and make money. Other diets like cabbage diet, liquid diets, and soup diets are some of the other ones that help people to lose weight very fast but they get constipated and may become dizzy, which some people may even pass out from the lack of nutrients. When people go back to their normal eating habit they will gain twice as much weight as they lost in the beginning and may develop other health issues than they had before starting the diets.