Overweight and Obesity: the New Endemic Diseases

892 Words2 Pages

Fast food, or junk food as some call it, is becoming more popular than ever; it's convenient, predictable and fast. It has become a part of the busy American lifestyle. Eating at McDonalds once every day and spending the rest of the day in a school bench or in front of the computer or television is making today's children fatter and fatter. Overweight is today a bigger problem in the world than starvation. In 1999 13% of the children aged 6 to 11 and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 in the United States were overweight . A recent study, carried out in Sacramento measuring aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility in students in the fifth, seventh and ninth grade showed that merely a quarter of the 1.3 million students tested met the state's standards .

The worst thing about being overweight as perceived by children is the social discrimination, resulting in depression and low self-esteem. There are other problems as well. Overweight adolescents have a 70% risk of becoming overweight or obese adults1 and thereby exposing themselves to a number of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. In other words, being fat is dangerous to your health.

The overweight problem is caused by two major factors, unhealthy eating patterns and a lack of physical activity. Also, genetics and lifestyles are both playing an important role in determining a child's weight. Sitting around all day and eating junk is what is getting today's children fat. 43% of adolescents are watching more than 2 hours of television every day3. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in 2000 more than 26% of adults reported no leisure time physic...

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...://ceplacer.ucdavis.edu/Custom_Program969/The_Problem_of_Overweight_in_Children_and_Adolescents.

htm. December 3, 2003.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Factors Contributing to Obesity." http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/contributing_factors.htm. December 13, 2003.

American Academy of Pediatrics. "Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity." http://www.aap.org/policy/s100029.html. December 15, 2003.

Anonymous. "Majority of Students Fail Physical Fitness Exam." http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sbriefs7.2nov07,1,3925321.story?coll=la-headlines-california

. December 7, 2003.

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