Childhood obesity is on the rise. In the report “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity within a Generation” found at http://www.letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html it states: “Prevalence estimates of obesity in the U.S. are derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the CDC. Between the survey periods 1976–80 and 2007–08, obesity has more than doubled among adults (rising from 15% to 34%), and more than tripled among children and adolescents (rising from 5% to 17%).”
I believe childhood obesity is on the rise for many different reasons. As an example, I’m 30 now, and when I was young there was a lot of free play time, running outdoors, climbing trees, and playing for hours after school. Coming in for dinner was a big deal because I didn’t want to leave my friends and playing outside. Now, there are safety concerns with letting children run free and go to the neighbor’s house, or to play basketball with the children 4 blocks away. People driving everywhere cuts down walking and transporting by foot or by bike.
Childhood sports have become very structured. For example, ballet classes, soccer, or volleyball. Children could be involved in eight different sports simultaneously. However, when observing a child at a sports practice, it is easy to see that it is structured to the point that there isn’t much activity. A lot of skill learning takes place, but it doesn’t serve high activity for long periods of time. Even though children may be on multiple teams, there’s a lot of waiting in line and standing around learning different techniques and skills.
The increase in video games, computers, TV, DVRs, movies, and everything sedentary contributes to childhood obesity. Ordering everything from ice cream, hamburgers, groceries, and movies online eliminates the need to leave the house, if you choose not to. Companies have gotten very efficient at deliveries. For example, some pizza companies hold your credit card on file and when called they already know your credit card number and the type of pizza you like. You simply say your name and they deliver your pizza to the address on file. It is very easy for people to stay indoors and maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Many different forms of entertainment are indoors and the new upcoming forms are technologically available.
The family dynamic is different. People work longer hours, multi-task, and the busy Mom syndrome occurs. Mom spends her time taking children from event to event and in between needs to feed them. It’s easiest to go through a drive-in and eat fast food. The children are happy and fed. Going to a fast food restaurant is no longer a treat but a source of food, rather than going home and preparing food.
Children are getting too many calories for the activities that they are not doing, in whatever form. If exercise does not occur, it’s possible to get too many calories eating carrots. The more processed the food the better it tastes, causing children to eat more calories. If children eat a lot of calories in a small volume they can overeat very easily. The sugar drinks such as the new flavored milks, making it more appetizing, give a quarter of the day’s daily allowance in one pint of milk, which could be half of lunch.
The combination of lowered activity, higher calories consumed, societal changes, and lifestyle lead to childhood obesity. Watch for my next post on what can be done about childhood obesity. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay informed about what is happening at Ramey Nutrition.
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