Parents´ Negligence Leads to Child Obesity

Many families cannot afford the rising costs of lunch. It seems that many schools are not exactly happy with the new regulations being made by the USDA because many kids are still hungry at the end of the day, and many of them have extra-curricular activities after school. Michelle Obama thinks that cutting portion size is a good way to help with childhood obesity, but by doing this children are just unhealthy and hungry. Many people believe that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is not making a lot of progress in making school lunches healthy and cost efficient. In order to solve these problems, many families choose to have their child bring their own lunch to school.

Sometimes, but it is my opinion that parents are mainly to blame for childhood obesity because they are the ones that buy the groceries, set the television limits, and rely on fast food to feed their children. Parents are not teaching children how to eat healthy. They feed them cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. Kids are not being exposed to a regular diet of health fruits and vegetables. Now some people are just naturally overweight, but being “overweight” is not the same as being “obese.” Someone who is overweight has reached a maximum weight limit for their height.

There are some things that are being done to address the issue. More things could also be done to prevent this issue that children are facing. The rise of obesity among children has increased over many decades. Research shows that obesity is a health issue that is rising because of fast food restaurants not revealing the calories and nutritional content in their food product’s, parents not taking time to feed their children healthy home cooked meals and children not getting enough exercise. Obesity has taken over many kids lives.

“In the past 30 years the occurrence of children who are overweight and obese has more than tripled.”(CDC). Over the past few years obesity has been getting out of control and why aren't we doing anything about it, and it really seems that we aren’t. Children are suffering from obesity everyday and it’s mostly the parents fault because they aren't doing anything about it. If we don’t do anything about it the number will be increasing more and more, over the years to come, starting with schools. The more access kids have with unhealthy food, is the schools because schools have junk foods and how hard is it to ask mom or dad for some money for they can get some chips, pop, candy and all those unhealthy snacks, and not getting yelled at by their parents.

Most cases of obesity don’t start later, in life there are some cases, but it is usually from young age. The parents of these kids should be punished for making their kids become like this. Thousands of young children know who the spokes person for the fast-food chains are but can’t answer simple questions about famous people. Child obesity in America is getting worse before it will become better because of the lack of healthy food, lack of proper exercise and lack of a support system for them. A typical fast-food meal consist of french-fries and a hamburger.

People tend to blame socioeconomic factors and the mass media for their children’s weight problems. However, unhealthy family eating habits and a lack of family involvement in physical activity are major reasons for obesity in young children today. Although people will argue that a child’s diet and lack of exercise are the leading causes for obesity in children, some people believe that obesity in children is caused by socioeconomic factors. People insist that they are living in an environment that does not encourage healthy eating. This statement can true because fast food restaurants are more convenient and less expensive opposed to buying fruits and vegetables.

From personal estimation, school nutrition has effect the lifestyle of the students that consume the food the school serves by their body’s condition and tedious habits. It has become common for the consumers of these foods to dismiss and forget about the nutritional value of what they are eating…or missing. The changes to the menu over the years have not been enough to help students keep up a decent condition in growth and health for their well-being. Overweight or obese children pose a higher risk physical and psychological health problems and economic concern for the country. Over the years, obesity has increased dramatically and is continually taking control of our nation.

Parents are a big factor when it comes into play with the kids. They are not getting the right amount of vegetables, fruits, and meats that they need at home. It is always so much easier to stop at McDonalds and pick up a quick sandwich on the way home for supper. Children look up to their parents for support and hopefully they will fed them what they need to be fed to stay healthy and maintain their weight. Lower income families have troubles with this also because of the amount of money that they bring in a week or so.

Although, genetic factors and inactive lifestyle are factors, obesity is mainly caused by the body consuming more food than it can use. “Every day almos... ... middle of paper ... ...ast food industry plays a big part in contributing to child obesity, because of the lack of effort to decrease the fat, salt, sugar content, and portions of their meals. They are also to blame for the excessive marketing directed toward young children through media and advertising. They have infiltrated the minds of children to trust fast food icons such as Ronald McDonald and to start bad eating habits at an early age that will carry over into their adulthood. Although the fast food industry is a largely linked to the growth of child obesity, they can not solely take the blame.

The Importance of Diet and Nutrition A child's diet and nutrition is a growing concern. Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and often times parents struggle just to get their children to eat. Most parents assume that as long as their children eat something, it is fine to let them eat what they want. The wrong approach to food can give children mixed messages about proper nutrition and lead to serious problems later. Parents are solely responsible for children's poor eating habits.