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Obesity Guide
The Dangers Of Childhood Obesity
Obesity rates, which have already reached epidemic proportions in many western countries, are continuing to rise and so it's no surprise that we are witnessing a growing number of overweight children. The dangers of childhood obesity today are all too clear, but precisely what leads to child obesity?
As is the case with most conditions there is no one cause of childhood obesity and various different factors, frequently working together, come into the equation when we are considering childhood obesity.
Frequently a child of overweight or obese parents will also be overweight or obese and this tends to indicate that there might be a genetic or inherited link to obesity. This is one area that is at present being researched in a number of medical studies into child obesity. At the moment however no clear genetic connection has been established and it is believed much more likely that child obesity results from diet and eating habits within the family rather than genetics.
In recent years eating habits have altered dramatically with fast food restaurants springing up everywhere, junk food widely and readily available and the shelves of our supermarkets groaning under the weight of convenience foods that usually contain high levels of sugar. Gone are the days of home cooked meals in many homes, to be replaced by microwave meals or take-away food and an increasing number of parents are electing to take their kids out to eat rather preparing meals at home.
There has also been a marked fall in levels of activity in many groups of children which has been fueled largely by the arrival of home computers, video games, and now the always present mobile phone. This fall in activity levels means that many kids are no longer taking advantage of their natural ability to burn up the calories that they gain from eating. The connection between technology and childhood obesity is only too clear to see.
The media (including magazines) also plays an important part. Junk and fast food companies, together with sweet manufacturers, have bee quick to climb aboard the media bandwagon and take full advantage of its obvious advertising potential.
There is no question that there is a connection between junk food advertisements and childhood obesity and the answer to the question 'Does junk food result in childhood obesity?' is most clearly 'Yes'.
In addition, there is a link between social changes and childhood obesity with many of our kids nowadays simply deciding to eat whenever they get bored. They will also turn to food whenever they are depressed, under stress, angry or anxious.
Although a great deal of research is presently aimed at childhood obesity, a lot of the current strategies to fight adolescent obesity are looking at solving the problem once a child is overweight or obese. Perhaps however the time has come when we ought to be attacking the problem at its source and preventing our children from becoming overweight or obese to begin with.
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