eating disorder

Some argue that fast food is responsible and that fast food advertisements are targeting children and others argue that fast food restaurants are not responsible what so ever, such as that arguments that it is a child dietary habits surrounding the meals. What is the relationship between fast food and the increasing rate of childhood obesity in the United States? Many health professionals believe that fast food restaurants are a major factor in increasing childhood obesity in America. Their belief is that advertisements produced by fast food restaurants are targeting children as their audience. Schools are now also contributing to f... ... middle of paper ... ...children's diet.

Obesity in the United States, which the media has labeled a national crisis, has also been connected to poverty rates. Big fast food industry’s target poor communities, and spend millions of dollars each year to create advertising that appeals to these specific areas. These industry’s also target naïve children when advertising because they know that eating habits developed in childhood are usually carried into adulthood. Children who are exposed to television advertisements for unhealthy food and who are not educated well enough on good nutrition will grow up and feed their families the same unhealthy foods they ate as kids. A big way fast food giants are able to make certain young people have access to unhealthy food is by strategically placing franchises in close proximity to schools.

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.

The growing epidemic is dangerous and alarming. There are many factors that contribute to the dramatic rise of obesity children. As obesity has grown, so has the fast food industry. “Between 1977 and 1995, the percentage of meals and snacks eaten at fast food restaurants doubled,” (... ... middle of paper ... ...umers to come, that decision is made by the consumer. Parents and even kids need to realize what is best for them and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Mary Lowth says a solution to obesity would include “putting food out of sight, diet, exercise and skipping de... ... middle of paper ... ...he lives of employers (Reinert, 2012). Conclusion Obesity is a steadily growing problem for Americans, especially for American children. Fast food indirectly affects the eating habits and obesity of people in the United States. There are several reasons of increasing popularity of fast food but it is a fact that fast food is not very healthy and balanced food. By avoiding such food one can easily get enough energy to exercise and cut the high-density foods.

Some people see fast food as the cause of obesity, whereas some see obesity as the cause of an individual choosing to eat unhealthy food, given them full responsibility for their dietary choices. Fast food is seen as one of the cheaper ways of eating compared to buying healthy food from the local supermarket. In the last few years, obesity rates have been on a rise. Obesity affects everyone ranging from young children to adults. An individual does have responsibility for their dietary choices, but perhaps they cannot afford the expensive prices of healthier foods, so they have to turn to fast foods as a cheaper unhealthy way of eating.

In adults, around 70% are overweight and 30% are obese. Nevertheless, our nation’s public schools are continuously promoting virulent foods through its lunch programs and on-campus advertisements. Although I understand that unhealthy food is cheaper and tastier, we must remember that those foods are causing our nation’s children to become obese. Factors such as cheap unhealthy foods in school lunches, junk food ads in schools, and teachers eating pernicious foods in class are causing more and more children to make the easy choice, the unhealthy choice. Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S, one that we need to promptly eradicate.

Many health professionals believe that fast food restaurants are a major factor in increasing childhood obesity in America. Their belief is that advertisements produced by fast food restaurants are targeting children as their audience. Health professionals believe that children of a young age are very easily persuaded by fast food advertisements, which creates more demand for their product resulting in an increased rate of childhood obesity. The American Psychological Association (APA) state on their website that, "Research has found strong associations between increases in advertising for non-nutritious foods and rates of childhood obesity" (The Impact of Food Advertising…). This research is what has sparked this belief of fast food restaurant's detrimental effects on childhood health.

Diseases Caused By Obesity: Being overweight predisposes a child to heart disease, gallstones, adult onset diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and full-blown obesity later in life. Obese children have more problems and upper respiratory diseases. And that is only one side of the story. They often suffer major social and psychological problems. The rapid increase of serious depression, eating disorders, drug use, and suicide among teenagers is frightening (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1st Jan 2001, Obesity In Children And Teens, http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/79.htm).

Who is to Blame for Childhood Obesity? Childhood obesity has recently become a major problem not only in the Unites States, but all around the world. No one knows the real reason as to why childhood obesity has recently become a major epidemic, but it has been found that the environment that the children live in plays a factor in the child’s weight status. Not only that but, some people believe that fast food and their million dollar industries is the reasons why so many children are obese. Whereas others have found that it all relies on their parents, that they, the parents, are the reason why their children are the way they are.