Wellness Tips: How to Fight Childhood Obesity
Learn how to stop childhood obesity.
Obesity is impacting more than our lives but the lives of our children. The level of obesity in our society is staggering. This impact has lead to a widespread existence of childhood obesity.
Obesity has been attributed to many illnesses such diabetes type II, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, heart disease, degenerative joint problems, certain types of cancer, and depression. Poor diet and physical inactivity have been estimated to be related to 500,000 deaths annually. If the obesity trend is not reversed, it is believed that obesity will overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death.
When we as adults have an obese lifestyle, we are more likely to pass our eating and activity habits to our children. Obesity in children and adults in the US has increased greater than 30% in the last decade. Many families are substituting meals high in fat and sugar for regular, well-balanced meals. Meals prepared at home have decreased also. The proportion of foods consumed by children from restaurants and fast food outlets has increased by close to 300% between 1977 and 1996.
There are no substitutes for a good diet and physical activity. The physical activity that has been a part of childhood for many generations has been replaced by sedentary activities such as playing video games, watching television, and playing with computers.
It is important that we teach our children good habits. We need to put extra effort to create a healthy diet and exercise habit. This will help your children lead healthy lives that they will carry into adulthood. They will likely pass this knowledge on to their children as well.
by Kristy Haugen
- Read more wellness tips from this article-Fighting Childhood Obesity Starts At Home.
Learn how to fight childhood obesity by hitting the home front.
