Childhood Obesity: A New Epidemic Essay Example
Childhood Obesity: A New Epidemic
The nature of society has changed greatly since the mid 20th century. With this change, the face and size of American youth has been altered. Increasing numbers of children ranging from infants to adolescents have become obese. Since the 1970's, obesity in children age two to five and adolescents age 12 to 19 has more than doubled. However, the fact that the percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 11 who are obese has tripled is increasingly frightening. American culture has changed vastly over the past three decades, ranging from the design of neighborhoods and communities, to the fast-food obsession Americans have developed. The way in which American culture has developed and changed, along with hereditary factors inherited from parents, has caused a high increase in the percentage of obese children. Since its introduction to American culture, television, and especially cable, has changed the way most people spend their time, in the same way videos and video games have revolutionized the past decades. Television has consumed society so much that a vast number of people watch it while doing everything; reading, falling asleep, socializing, and even eating. Children are especially inclined to spend hours on end in front of the television, which is a major change from the 1950's and 1960's, when children occupied their time playing outside. Dr. Thomas Robinson found in his article "Does Television Cause Childhood Obesity?" children between the age of two and seventeen years spend an average of three waking years of their life watching television, which does not include the time spent watching videos, playing video games, or using a computer (2). In addition, a study by Dr. Joseph Mercola, contained in the article "TV Watching, Childhood Obesity Linked," found that a quarter of US children watch more than four hours of television daily. With so much time devoted to television, children are disengaged from
The nature of society has changed greatly since the mid 20th century. With this change, the face and size of American youth has been altered. Increasing numbers of children ranging from infants to adolescents have become obese. Since the 1970's, obesity in children age two to five and adolescents age 12 to 19 has more than doubled. However, the fact that the percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 11 who are obese has tripled is increasingly frightening. American culture has changed vastly over the past three decades, ranging from the design of neighborhoods and communities, to the fast-food obsession Americans have developed. The way in which American culture has developed and changed, along with hereditary factors inherited from parents, has caused a high increase in the percentage of obese children. Since its introduction to American culture, television, and especially cable, has changed the way most people spend their time, in the same way videos and video games have revolutionized the past decades. Television has consumed society so much that a vast number of people watch it while doing everything; reading, falling asleep, socializing, and even eating. Children are especially inclined to spend hours on end in front of the television, which is a major change from the 1950's and 1960's, when children occupied their time playing outside. Dr. Thomas Robinson found in his article "Does Television Cause Childhood Obesity?" children between the age of two and seventeen years spend an average of three waking years of their life watching television, which does not include the time spent watching videos, playing video games, or using a computer (2). In addition, a study by Dr. Joseph Mercola, contained in the article "TV Watching, Childhood Obesity Linked," found that a quarter of US children watch more than four hours of television daily. With so much time devoted to television, children are disengaged from