Childhood Obesity

  Do you know a child that you would consider “large”? Childhood obesity is a severe problem in the U.S. and in other countries. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight and 30 per cent suffer from obesity but there has been a dramatic increase in childhood obesity. In the United States, the percentage of overweight or obese children has doubled over the past 30 years to 25 per cent of the under-19 population. There are various cause and effects to childhood obesity.

 One cause of childhood obesity is fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s or Burger King. Restaurants such as these contain food that may be delicious, but it is also full of fat. When you purchase a big mac from McDonald’s, there is no way to tell how much fat is in it. Foods from restaurants are cheap these days, so they are easier to get. Children love to eat cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, but they have no idea how much fat in each piece of food they eat. Once they get into the habit of eating food from the restaurants, it stays with them even to their adulthood. Many adults these days also buy food from fast food resturants, but they are more cautious of what they eat.