Obesity among children is a major problem in today's society. Approximately 25% of children in the US are overweight and 11% are obese. Factors like fast food consumption, lack of exercise, large portion sizes, and sugary drinks contribute to increasing obesity rates. As technology makes daily tasks easier, children are more at risk of becoming overweight without sufficient exercise. Prevention methods aim to build healthier environments for children through options like healthier vending machines and active parks. Studies show obese children are likely to be obese as adults, so lifestyle changes are important from a young age.

1. Silvia Kwan
Professor Olescyski
KIN 301
January 21, 2012
Obesity among children
Obesity is a major problem within today’s society because of all the fast food that people
eat so often, and not to mention the lack of getting daily exercise. Some key factors like lifestyle
preferences, cultural environment, increased portion size, decrease in physical activities,
increased sugar intake from soft drinks, and environmental factors play a big part in the
increasing number of people who are currently overweight or obese. Obesity is the increase in
body fat which can lead to dangerous health problems in the future, such as, coronary heart
disease or type II diabetes.
Looking only at the demographics for children in the United States, approximately
twenty five percent are considered overweight and another eleven percent is considered to be
obese. Both females and males are supposed to have twenty five to thirty percent of body fat in
order to be considered healthy. Anything over thirty percent is considered to be obese or
overweight depending on how much the child has gone over the range.
Fatty foods are not only considered delicious to children but also inexpensive compared
to healthier and organic foods. Children are more likely to increase the amount of calories that
they eat because of the tastiness of the food which increases the proportion of what they are able
to eat. Not only are they over eating, but the number of calories that they intake daily increases
dramatically. Unfortunately, the amount of calories is not the only concern. The amount of fat

2. that fast food products contain is over the daily dairy intake. Considering the amount of fatty and
high calorie foods that are being consumed, if the child is able keep a steady rate on the amount
of exercise he or she does, it will decrease the chances of him or her being overweight compared
to children that do not do any type of physical activities.
Some methods of prevention on how to decrease the number of children that are
overweight and obese is to build an environment that promotes healthy choices. For example,
creating an easier way for children to get healthy foods by making them more available through
replacing the fatty foods can be bought in vending machines with healthier choices. Creating a
park that has more fun activities for children to play in can also encourage them to become more
willing to go to the park. By doing so, the children are not only more eager to go to the park, but
they will spend more time outdoors instead of just sitting in front of the television. By doing
these simple tasks, not only will they improve the child’s health, decrease the chances of being
overweight and obese, but it also creates a domino effect. This domino effect help create a long
term road for the child to make a habit of eating healthier without having to think about it too
much.
Studies show that when children are already overweight and obese, they have a higher
chance and are more likely to still be overweight and obese by the time they reach to adulthood.
The reason that people will have a harder time losing weight at an older age is primarily due to
the lack of will and encouragement. It is very difficult to get people to commit to doing more
exercise nowadays because our environment doesn’t promote the idea very well. With the
advent of technology and transportation that make daily tasks easier and less physical,
individuals are more at risk in becoming overweight or obese.

3. While the advancement in technology makes the lives of each individual even easier,
there are fewer methods that promote exercising and living a more balanced and healthier life. It
appears that some people do not realize that obesity isn’t a real problem until it affects them
physically. A more technological method such as liposuction which is the process of extracting
excess body fat from the patient has been seen to be an easy way out of obesity. Other
corporations encourage the use of artificial dieting pills that rely on continuous consumption,
while it may or may not affect the human body even more. These methods of losing weight the
“easy way” are not the solution to obesity in children. With the conglomeration of fast food
chains, easier and faster transportation, and the ease of doing labor heavy tasks being replaced by
technology, it would not be surprising to see the exponential rise of obesity in third world
countries such as China or India. Children who are being born to today’s generation will be
more prone to facing obesity as they grow older due to these factors.
Obesity is a very important and ongoing problem because the number of children who are
now overweight or obese is significantly increasing. In addition to that problem, very few
organizations are really promoting or taking any steps to improve the environment that we live in
by eating healthier or getting more exercise which are two of the most important things when it
comes to being lean. Being overweight causes a person to get many different kinds of diseases
later in the future. The rate of children whose health is at risk will slowly increase, unless
changes are made, and within a short period of time almost one in every three children will fall
within the category.
The risk one takes without being well informed about the effects of obesity can be deadly
and can lead to death. In turn, this calls individuals to create awareness to obesity, while
promoting healthier diets and more physical activities. Organizations such as VERB, have been

4. advertising that children of all ages should “go out and play.” While maintaining a stable and
balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and other daily necessities, it is also viable to have a sufficient
amount of exercise daily. It has been advised the children to do at least sixty minutes of aerobic
exercise each day. As the population of the U.S. and other nation’s transition into a more
technological and fast-food reliant society, obesity will increase regardless of age. Children need
to start off with a healthy lifestyle which consists of healthier food choices while also performing
daily aerobic exercise such as playing sports. As a society, we need to remember and try to stay
away from fast-foods and eat more accordingly. Children who are already undergoing obesity
still have the chance to lose weight. All it takes is the correct mindset, and the will to achieve a
healthier lifestyle.

5. Cited Works
"Genetics of Childhood Obesity." Hindawi Publishing Corporation. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2011/845148/>.
"Nutrition Journal | Full Text | Childhood Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention." Nutrition
Journal. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nutritionj.com/content/4/1/24>.
"Relation between Childhood Obesity and Adult Cardiovascular Risk." Hindawi Publishing
Corporation. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijpe/2009/108187/>.