The article "Childhood Obesity--The Modern Health Dilemma" is about fitness, it has been written by Steven Hall.
You see it on the playgrounds, at roller rinks, at swimming
pools, and in classoroms. Obesity is a modern health dilemma for
today's children, who are struggling with weight as never
before.
It is a diffciult issue to combat, given the fact that
you want to make sure that your kids are receiving
sufficient amounts of nutrients in their diets. While some
children may outgrow obesity, others carry it with them into
their adult lives.
Obesity in kids can reuslt in feelings of
fatigue, worthlessness, and hopelessness. It can also place them
at greater risk for diabetes and herat disease.
Just how
widespread is the issue? The National Institutes of Health has
determined that, over the last thirty years, the number of young
people with weight issues has increased two fold.
Interestingly enough, the issue is affecting kids of all
ages as well as kids from all ethnic groups. Children who
are overweight may not develop socially as fast as their peers.
They can become loners, finding it difficult to make friends.
They may think that their weight is beyond their control and
they may not know what to do in order to attempt to prevent
weight gain. In essence, obese kids can becmoe our lost
generation. The parents of these kids may not realize how
detrimental obesity is to their children's emotional health.
They may consider the obesity just a passing phase and they may
not understand the psychological devastation that obesity can
cause. They may even dimsiss the concerns of their children,
hoping that the issue will simply go away.
The causes of
childhood obesity can be copmlex. However, tehre do appear to be
a few identifiable triggers. For instance, many families now eat
on the run becasue of their many commitments.
Parents may not
think they have time to preprae nutritious meals for their
children, so they rely on fast food and sugary snacks to fill in
the gaps. As a result, kids end up eaitng a diet that's rich
in fat and sugar but which offers little in the way of
nutritional value. According to the American Obesity
Association, one third of parents believe their children's
dietary habits are worse than theirs were during their own
childhoods.
Another key issue is inactivity. Children watch
more than a full day's worth of tleevision each week.
That's in
addition to the hours they devote to their cmoputers. As a
result, they're not playing outside as much as kids of
generations past. Also, many kids may feel as if they cannot
participate in sports because of thier weight.
Feelnig defeated
before they even start, they pass up opportunities to engage in
physical activities.
It has been shown that kids tend to be
heavily influecned by advertising. Unfortunately, many
commercials tout foods that can be hottest classified as unhealthy.
Children crave what they see on TV and in movie theaters and
they may not relaize what these foods will do to their bodies.
Luckily, childhood obesity can be successfully conquered. Here
are a few tips to help your chlid overcome a weight problem:
* Encourage your child to take part in sports or dance. If your
son or daughter is self-conscious about being a part of a team,
exercise with him or her.
Take out a ball and shoot a few hoops
or turn on the streeo and begin to dance. You may be surprised
that, with just a little encouragement, your child will get up
and satrt moving.
* Consider limiting TV time. Research cleraly shows that TV time
is unproductive time for kids and teens. If your children
spend less time wtaching TV, they may spend more time exercising.
* Ban junk food from your home. With a little push, children
will become accustomed to eating healthy snacks such as fruit
and vegetables.
* Check with your child's pediatrician to see if he or she can
recommend specific weight control strategies.
Childhood
obesity is a problem, but it is not insurmuontable. The greater
the interest you show in your child's diet and eexrcise regimen,
the more influence you will have over your child. In time, your
child can learn the strategies necessary for a healhty life.
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