Social Media And Childhood Obesity

Pediatric obesity is a critical problem throughout the Western world. Its primary causes are dietary choices and sedentary behaviors of school-age children, developing adolescents and college-age youth. Observation of the images posted throughout social media of overweight or obese children and adolescents provides an illuminating method by which to comprehend the extent of the problem. Whether posted by family, friends or strangers wanting to shame and ostracize, viewing these images provides an enlightening anthropomorphic pictorial view of the magnitude of the problem.
Subsequently, one of the fundamental factors involved in these behaviors, and which deserves comprehensive research and examination, is the symbiotic relationship between extensive television viewing, unhealthy dietary choices and childhood obesity. If a young person views more than two hours of television, there exists the increased likelihood their primary food choices will be comprised of those deficient in nutritional value.
Galson (2008) in a comprehensive examination of measures concerned adults might utilize in order to create a solution to the childhood obesity crisis when he stated that: “The increase in childhood obesity is partly attributable to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition” (Galson, 2008, p. 258). If not addressed and resolved early in a child’s life, the resultant consequences from those behaviors can culminate in a lifetime of adverse health and medical difficulties, many of which could result in a reduced lifespan for the