Obesity: A Growing Epidemic

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Obesity has been a constant struggle for years, however recently it has become one of the fastest growing epidemics in America, affecting the entire spectrum of ages. According to the 17th United States Surgeon General, Richard H. Carmona, “Today’s children may become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents” (Hub pages). Essentially, obesity has become a growing issue for the youngest of ages. As troubling as this is to accept, there is still hope for them if we take action now. While children are direct targets for obesity, they should also be the main focus toward preventing the spread of obesity. If we limit advertisements targeted toward children, establish regulations for childcare programs, and educate parents and children on healthy active lifestyles, then obesity could be prevented in future generations.
Living in a world of technology, media and advertisements can be seen everywhere, thus are highly influential to children and adolescents. Today on average, children and adolescents are exposed to approximately twelve to twenty-one ads on food and beverages a day, with very little emphasis on fitness and nutrition (57). Considering the amount of hours spent watching TV, listening to music, and time spent on the Internet this is a bit troubling. Furthermore, research done by Victoria Rideout reveals “over the course of a year, adolescents on average saw 25 minutes of public health messages on either fitness and nutrition and 40 hours of food and beverage advertising” (63). Letting the evidence speak for itself, children are influenced to live sedentary lifestyles consuming large amounts of food and drinks highly processed. If we prevent advertisers from directing their ads to...

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...he lives of those who are to come after us and end the terrible diseases that take the lives of many as a result of obesity.

Works Cited

Nihiser, Allison, Caitlin Merlo, and Sarah Lee. "Preventing Obesity through Schools." The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 41.S2 (2013): 27-34. Print.
"Obesity Epidemic in America: Who Is to Blame?" HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Reynolds, Meredith A., Caree Jackson Cotwright, Barbara Polhamus, Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, and Debbie Chang. "Obesity Prevention in the Early Care and Education Setting: Successful Initiatives across a Spectrum of Opportunities." The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 41.S2 (2013): 8-18. Print.
Rideout, Victoria. "Assessing the Impact of Marketing and Industry." Measuring Progress in Obesity Prevention: Workshop Report. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2012. 57-71. Print.

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