Childhood Obesity in America

According to the World Health Organization , the rate of childhood obesity has tripled since 1966. They also say that 80% of obese children will carry that trend into adulthood. Obese children see higher incidences of type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and poor self-esteem.

Breakfast cereals are loaded with sugar and many children survive on a diet low in nutrition and heavy on fast food. Physical education programs in schools have been pushed aside to make room for more academic classes.

The television and video games have replaced outdoor playtime. A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 26% of children in the United States watched at least 4 hours of television daily. They also noted that these children were far less likely to participate in physical activity.
Parents can prevent children from becoming overweight. Feed children a diet of healthy and nutritious meals and snacks and make sure they are physically active daily.

Get out there with your kids and play. Sports like soccer, football, baseball and tennis also allow kids to stay fit. Many busy parents enroll their kids in children’s gyms. While some provide aerobics classes and child size fitness equipment like treadmills, others offer active playtime and gymnastic style classes. Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit and Gamercize get kids off of the couch and on their feet.

Make sure to keep current on all well child visits and don’t be afraid to voice any concerns you may have about your child’s weight.

Reference:
Source: www.who.int/en