Overweight and Obese Children-An Epidemic-Part One By Terry Bailey

Overweight and Obese Children – An Epidemic

By Terry Bailey

In our modern technology driven society much about our day-to-day lives has improved dramatically. We can be, and most are, wired for 24 hour communication with any and all people in their lives. Thanks to the Internet we also have 24 hour access to virtually all of the accumulated knowledge of the known world. Improvements in health care have virtually eradicated all of the childhood illnesses that once proved fatal to a great number of children. The future couldn’t look better, especially for the children who will be coming of age in our “enhanced” world. Or could it?

Consider these statistics made available from numerous research studies from across the United States.

1) The percentage of children ages 6 through 11 who are overweight has more than doubled in the past twenty years.

2) The percentage of teens who are overweight has more than tripled during the same period.

3) Reports indicate that 15% of children ages 6-19 and more than 10% of kids ages 2-5 are obese.

The result is that over 9 million children in the United States are classified as overweight.

One of the major contributing factors to this unhealthy rise in overweight children is that more and more children have adopted a sedentary lifestyle.

More and more kids get a ride to and from school rather than walking or riding their bikes.

More and more kids, upon returning home from school, watch television or play video games rather than playing out of doors.

More and more, kids consume high amounts of food that contains empty calories.

Portion sizes in restaurants have grown larger and larger. The 8 ounce Coke bottle from the past has no place in today’s “Supersized” world.

So, the kids are a little heavier than they should be. That’s no big problem, is it?

Yes, it is. A study conducted by Satcher, Zametkin, et. al in 2005 at the University of Michigan indicated that children who were overweight or obese were at higher risks for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems, asthma, anxiety, depression and diabetes. Children who are overweight or obese miss as much as four times as much school as children of normal weight. These all have a significant negative effect on a child’s ability to learn.

The health and fitness level of elementary school children today is more tenuous than any time in the history of our country. And…it is self-induced. The main contributing factor is easy to identify – more calories are being consumed by our kids than they expending. Surplus calories equals weight gain. The cure for obesity is equally as obvious – kids need to burn more calories than they consume.

Next time – A look at Kansas kids.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA