Fighting Childhood Obesity, Part 1of 2
Monday, February 13, 2012
With the average weight of the American population climbing every day, childhood obesity has become a dangerous and widespread health concern affecting families across the country. According to the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPTF), 12-18 percent of U.S. children ages 2-19 are obese. What’s more, enough food is supplied in the U.S. to provide every person in the country with a daily caloric intake of 3,800, far beyond what is recommended—let alone healthy—for the average American. So it’s no wonder that obesity rates in children are increasing in significant numbers.
While genetic factors do play some part in 70-80 percent of obesity cases, poor lifestyle choices are among the biggest contributing factors to why people of all ages become overweight.“Children whose parents are overweight are twice as likely to become obese,” said Dr. William Muiños, who spearheads Miami Children’s obesity program. Dr. Muiños has helped hundreds of children develop healthier lifestyles leading to lasting weight loss results.
Statistics show that not only are Americans eating more today than we were 20 years ago, we’re also replacing a large number of our home cooked meals with fast food, prepackaged meals and dining out. We’ve also been accustomed to eating very large portion sizes. From a very young age, children are being given excessive amounts of candy and unhealthy snacks, soda and sugary fruit drinks.
Meanwhile, in a world saturated with technology, our children are spending countless hours in front of the TV, computer and video game consoles every day, taking away from the time they could be spending playing outside. And with education budget cuts across the nation, schools are also providing kids with less opportunity for daily physical activities.
To be continued...
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