Obesity In Children And Adolescence Essay

Obesity in children and adolescence has become a major issue throughout America. Parents do not realize the health problems that their children have or will acquire later on in life. Obesity is a huge health issue, although it can be avoided by children becoming more active, changing their diet, or even taking away their video games. Children do not know any better, therefore, when parents over indulge them; eating large amounts becomes a learned behavior leading to obesity. Parents should encourage their child(ren) to become active as one of the ways to avoid obesity. Signing their children up to play in local sports leagues that their community may have such as t-ball and wee-ball for smaller kids or soccer, baseball, and basketball for older kids is a great way to keep them active. These sports are seasonal, which may help the child not feel overwhelmed with so much at once, then again being seasonal will help keep the child active all year around. Extra-curricular activities are a great way to keep older kids or teens active. High schools all over the country participate in track, cross-country, volleyball, swimming, even dance teams. Being active and working on physical fitness are just a few ideas to keep your body’s metabolism high and avoid obesity. A child’s diet has a massive impact on their weight, therefore maintaining a healthy eating routine will also prevent obesity. Although now a days America’s nuclear family has developed into a single parent family, the parent cannot slack off. Time is very limited but is not an excuse to tell the children â€Å"Hey kids we’ll grab some McDonalds on the way!† Even as a single parent there is still time to sit down and plan a menu with better food choices. Since the kids are at school all week that just means the menu only has to be for breakfast and dinner except on the weekends and days off. Taking time for the child’s eating routine is necessary and could save worry and struggles later on. Eating less fast food will definitely cut calories and over indulging, drinking more water, juice, and less soda will help as well. Video games! Children and teens absolutely love their video games, but are they playing on them too much? Video games encourage plenty of inside time, take away from the child running around and getting dirty because of eating a mud pie, and the child develops bad eating habits. By taking away the video game for a few hours you could go outside and run through the sprinkler in the summertime, or rake leaves in the fall. Going to the park could also be an alternative for the video games. Some chores would be helpful, having the child active to earn some Xbox or game time is an idea. It is surprising to think that burning calories and working out by just doing a little bit of cleaning around the house actually helps. Obesity is a huge health issue, although it can be avoided by children becoming more active, changing their diet, or even taking away their video games. These three solutions are just some food for thought, there are plenty more ideas and fun ways to stay away from the big issue; obesity. Children cannot avoid it on their own, it all starts at home. As a parent take charge and guide your child through a healthy life and lifestyle.