Soft drinks contribute significantly to childhood obesity in America. Children in America consume soft drinks because they are very tasty and most likely will become addicted to soft drinks. Soft drinks are everywhere in America for example vending machines, supermarket checkouts, and fast-food restaurants. Billions of dollars are spent to advertise soft drinks and market them everywhere. These companies also go after children because they know they would be the number one buyers. There are two types of drinks that children consume most, which are soda and juice. The majority of soda contains water, sweeteners, acid and some type of flavor. When it comes to juice, juice can have numerous types of ingredients and numerous kinds of flavor. Mara Bateman is an author for the company Ground Report; this is a global news platform that strives to provide local, insightful perspectives on the world events. According to the author Mara Bateman who wrote the article, "The Pros and Cons of Drinking Lots of Juices" published June 28, 2008, states that, "On the downside, juices lack the fiber of fresh fruits and vegetables and may contain heaping helpings of calories and natural sugars. Giving infants too much juice may increase their risk of tooth decay and even hamper normal development" (1). What this mean is children are at risk, when it comes to tooth decay. Juice cause tooth decay because of all the sugar that is contain in the juice. If a child is drinking juice more than milk, then the child is not getting enough bone building calcium. Children that drink soda and juice on a regular basic don't get the chance to receive vitamin C. It's best that children drink 100% fruit juice instead of juice containing sugar because drinking fruit juice the child is consuming vitamin C and it helps heal cuts and bruises, fight infection.
In addition to soft drinks contributing significantly to obesity also lack of physical activities contribute significantly to childhood obesity. The Mayo clinic has been around for years. They currently have more than 55,000 doctors that are willing to help children and adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, " A critical part of weight loss, especially for children, is physical activity. It not only burns calories but also builds strong bones and muscles and helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day" (1). What this means s physical is making children stay fit and healthy by helping them lose calories and by making their muscles strong. Physical activity can happen anywhere. It can take place in the child's P.E. class, outside, gym, and etc. To increase a child physical activity according the Mayo Clinic, " Limit computer and T.V time, emphasize activity, not exercise and finding activities that your child like to do" (1). Many children that are obese usually spend all their time in front of a TV, computer or playing video games. This comes from not taking charge in getting activity. A lack of physical activities is the start of obesity. There is a lot of risk a child is taking by not having physical activities on a regular basics. Simon Breedon has a Bachelor from Florida State University in Creative non-fiction/ Journalism and a Masters certification in Editing and Publishing. According to the Article, "Social Effects of Lack of Exercise on Kids," states that, "A lack of exercise can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to depression and the tendency to overeat. Children will lack the enthusiasm and energy needed to get a good night sleep. Obesity puts strain on the respiratory system and that can be harmful to heart" (1). To prevent sleep deprivation and respiratory system to the heart from happening daily physical activity is needed. Ms. Phillippas is with the division of Endocrinology and Dr. Lo is with the Clinical Nutrition services at Children's Hospital Boston. In the article, "Childhood Obesity: Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment," published November 2, 2005. Clifford Lo and Nikki Philippas studies found that, "Boys who participated in a high-intensity physical activity such as soccer, basketball, swimming, or running for at least 15 minutes, three to five times per week had a reduced risk of being overweight" (85). Girls are more likely to become obese because they get involved a lot more then boys. Girls have the tendency to do less physical activities. When children do few physical activities it causes them not to lose as many calories like they should. That's why it's best for boys and girls to go hard for 15 minutes and this will be one of the situations to prevent obesity.
Fast- Food is all over America. Fast- Food companies advertise their business very well. They spend billions of dollars to advertise. Fast Food ads are on the Internet, billboards, T.V. These companies target children because children will be the number one buyers because they offer toys with their meals. Ben Tracy graduated from Marquette University with bachelor's degrees in broadcast journalism and political science and with a master's degree in public service at Marquette University. The article "Fast Food Restaurants Not fighting Child Obesity" published November 8, 2010 states,
Three years ago, the big chains promised to fight childhood obesity. A report out Monday suggests they've done the opposite. The report is the most comprehensive study ever into fast food nutrition and marketing. It shows that out of more than 3,000 possible kids' meals combinations at the major chains, only 12 meet nutritional guidelines for pre-schoolers. Last year children ages 6 to 11 saw 26 percent more ads for McDonald's than they did just two years earlier. (1)
What this means is that these fast food restaurants are putting toys in the kids meals, so they can come buy their food, by putting toys in the meals and advertising it on TV, internet, billboards and etc. Children are seeing these ads and wanting to go to these fast-food restaurants so they can receive a toy. Tracy states that, " it's a course a happy deal for marketer but an unhealthy deal for children" (2). Eating fast food a lot for children can be a sign of obesity. Fast Food is nothing but fatting. Their food contains a lot of grease and it's not healthy. Tracy states that, " A standard McDonald's Happy Meal of Chicken McNuggets, small fries and juice drink has 510 calories, 22 grams sugar and 23 grams of fat" (2). This is a perfect example just by consuming this meal children are consuming way more calories then needed. Just think about it if children eat this same happy meal three times out the week, they will be consuming 1530 and that would just be off the small fries and the drink. This is so unhealthy for children. Children should just go the healthy way and consume healthy food because it's good for children and their body.
Prevention of childhood obesity is not simple, it take time and patients. Prevention comes from parents and community. Vincent Iannelli graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in Biology. He attended medical school at the university of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his Pediatrics residency at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. In the article, "Preventing Childhood obesity recommendations" published January 26, 2008. Vincent Iannelli states that, "knowing a child's BMI can help you find the kids who are at risk of becoming overweight" (1). Prevention comes from parents. Parents are responsible for providing healthy food and setting up a consistent meal and snack time. Children are responsible for how much they want to eat. Starting off early with healthy food it's teaching the child how to eat correctly. Making sure children having three meals a day that are healthy. Iannelli states, " limit television and video time to a maximum of 2 hours per day. Promote healthy eating patterns by offering nutritious snacks, such as vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy foods, and whole grains"(1). What this means is eating good food is healthy and by eating healthy food and will prevent the chances of childhood obesity. Obesity is 100% preventable if the parents take care of their children right. Linda Smiolak received her doctoral training at Temple University. Where she obtained her PhD in1980. She is a professor in the department of psychology and women's and gender studies. J.Kevin Thompson, received his doctoral training at the university of Georgia, where he obtained his PhD in 1982. He's a professor in the department of psychology. Linda Smolak and J. Kevin Thompson are the authors of the book" Body Image Eating Disorder, and Obesity," published 2009 by the American Psychological Association. Smolak and Thompson states that," Community factors of relevance to obesity prevention include the presence of safe parks: streets that are designed so it easy to walk to schools; community centers that provide opportunities for physical activity" (246). What this mean is that community is caring about childhood obesity. The community is doing things that would prevent childhood obesity from happening so much in this world. Children can do a lot of things by preventing obesity. By a child walking to school they are losing a lot of calories and staying active.