The incidence of childhood obesity is on the rise. Unhealthy habits have led to obese kids having health-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These diseases were previously seen only in adults. Obesity is a threat to the health of kids in numerous ways. Obesity impacts multiple systems of the body including: *Cardiovascular system *Pulmonary system *Gastrointestinal system *Orthopedic system Over 12 million kids in the United States suffer with childhood obesity. This is an alarming statistic and a frightening one for parents. The prevalence of childhood obesity increased 100 percent over the last ten years. The reasons for obesity are a societal as well as physical. There are two main forces that have created this phenomenon of obese kids in our culture. The first main impact on the weight of our kids is the amount of fast food that is consumed on a daily basis. The fast food industry has changed the American diet into a junk food melee that lacks healthful options. Fast food consumption combined with the sedentary lifestyles of kids who play expensive video games rather than playing outdoors leads to the high incident of overweight children. These activities lead directly to the causes of obesity in kids and to unhealthy parents. Kids require at least 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Parents require at least 30-45 minutes of physical activity. Kids require a healthy diet for normal growth and development. Unfortunately, fast food does not contain the nutrients that kids require. Nutritious eating is virtually a lost art for the typical family. Take out menus and fast food has become the easy and quick way to get the family fed. These lifestyle choices contribute to obesity, high blood pressure and a myriad of other health issues for not only adults but for our kids. An overview of the basic problems with the eating habits of a nation are summed up by Eric Schlosser in his book "Fast Food Nation" "A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants -- mainly at fast food restaurants". A hamburger and french fries is the quintessential American meal ... thanks to the promotional efforts of the fast food chains. The typical American now consumes approximately three hamburgers and four orders of french fries every week." These facts reveal the problem. Some options to correct this problem are in the hands of adults. Some short-terminterim solutions are offered below: *Focus the family's diet on nutritious foods. *Encourage an increase in physical activity. *Have a wide variety of nutritious snacks available for snacking. *Make a healthy meal plan for the family. Parents can take more proactive steps to prevent childhood obesity by preparing and serving healthy meals at home. Taking the family on a hike or a bike ride after dinner is a great event for the whole family. Let kids decide on some events. Kids can get involved in their own health improvement by making physical activity an after school priority. The goal is to follow healthy lifestyle suggestions as close as possible. Take baby steps until you can achieve the goal of good eating habits for the whole family. It is hard to change entrenched bad eating habits. The rules will always get broken some of the time - allow for setbacks. The problems that keep us from doing all the right things is usually lack of time. We always need more of it.
