Topic > The Causes of Childhood Obesity and Its Effects on Health

It is truly disheartening that a large percentage of people around the world are becoming obese. This is a serious socioeconomic problem and is largely attributed to the modern lifestyle. Although most parents nowadays pay great attention to a healthy lifestyle, the number of obese children has increased significantly in recent decades. “In 2013, 42 million infants and toddlers were obese worldwide, and 70 million toddlers will be overweight or obese by 2025, if current trends continue.” It is certainly true that being overweight leads to serious health problems in children. There are four main causes of childhood obesity: Diet: Consumption of junk foods, physical inactivity, genetic factors, and stress/sleep deprivation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe most significant contributor to the childhood obesity epidemic is the consumption of junk foods, especially sugar, sweets, and beverages. Furthermore, the use of ultra-processed foods available in advanced stores, which are highly rich in artificial ingredients and have fewer dietary benefits, causes weight gain and diet-related chronic diseases. Today's children consume large amounts of concentrated starches and calorie-rich foods. correlating with children from a couple of decades earlier. For example, according to a study published in Pediatric Clinics in 2013, 14.6% of calorie intake in children under 2 years of age comes from foods with added sugars, especially sodas and juices. Along with foods like fried meals and other processed foods that are rich in trans fatty acids, which negatively affect your health and therefore lead to weight gain. The American Heart Association recommends that replacing saturated and trans fatty acids in the diet with monounsaturated and polysaturated fats helps reduce weight gain to some extent. Furthermore, the size and quantity of foods nowadays are relatively larger. Children are not aware of the amount of food they eat in each meal. Mostly restaurants and fast food outlets provide large calorie meals in one order, thus increasing your energy intake more than necessary. Due to today's changing family conditions, two guardians work as experts and have less time to plan sustenance at home, and lack of parental guidance in diet results in unhealthy eating patterns and obesity in children. The second key category of weight gain in children is physical inactivity. mainly from excessive use of electronic gadgets such as television, internet, video games and advertising of junk foods. Young people are inactive to then sit in front of the television, they do not need to have outdoor entertainment, play sports or even go for a walk. Watching television causes obesity not only by replacing physical activities but also through incessant food advertising. Advertising on television makes children more attracted to bad foods, especially sugars and drinks. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), only 11% of girls and 24% of boys between the ages of 11 and 16 are physically active at least 1 hour a day and only 30% of children attend school. 'physical education. classes in schools. Therefore, the energy intake from calories is greater than the caloric intake and this causes real medical problems. Furthermore, like other disorders, obesity is the consequence of the transmission of natural and hereditary factors from parents to children. Hereditary factors, especially certain parental genes, lead to the increase in., 2008; 437-46