The Health Of Children Is In Danger

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Typically when kids open the fridge for something to snack on they have many different types of foods to choose from. But what if a child had a choice between a piece of fruit or a piece of chocolate cake. Most would want the piece of cake over the healthier option of fruit. Who wouldn’t right? Although child obesity is becoming a serious concern, there are solutions that can prevent it. Childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children are obese. Gregory Green, Clarence Riley, and Brenda Hargrove all from Fort Valley State University; and with Ph. D’s researched that being overweight during childhood increases the risk of developing diseases such as high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression, and type 2 diabetes. Unhealthy weight gain is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise and is responsible for 300,000 deaths each year (Obesity In Children And Teens). If children do not adopt a healthier lifestyle it can cause health problems as an adult. Some things that may help to prevent child obesity are more physical activity in schools, taxing junk food, and parents should help educate their child how to have a healthy lifestyle and keep healthier options in the home.
One major aspect to being healthy is to have an active lifestyle, therefore one solution for child obesity is schools adding more opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day. Children should have at least 60 minutes of Physical activity everyday (Green, Riley, and Hargrove). One way to help this is by having gym everyday to help students to reach their 60 minutes of physical activity. Only 3% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools a...

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...the same time. By cooking meals together can be a great way to teach children the best ways to eat healthy and make it an enjoyable experience. Children need help in preventing obesity and cannot do it on their own. With the help of the government, schools, and parents it helps to bring down the rate of childhood obesity.

Works Cited

Obesity In Children And Teens." Obesity In Children And Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014
Green, Gregory, Clarence Riley, and Brenda Hargrove. "Physical Activity And Childhood Obesity: Strategies And Solutions For Schools And Parents." Education 132.4 (2012): 915-920. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. "Healthy Food and Beverage Access." Obesity Prevention Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014
Salahi, Lara, Meaney, Samantha, “Fat Tax' to Lower Obesity." ABC News. ABC News Network, 16 May 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

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