by Johnnie D Williams

Created on: March 14, 2011

Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate in Britain.  The NHS (National Health Service) has reported that one in every three children is obese by the time they reach six years old. Obesity affects not only the children of Britain but children throughout the world. It is necessary to understand why this health crisis is happening in the first instance.

Modern technology including mobile phones, internet, computers, chat rooms, video game consoles, DVD entertainment, and television all play a part in reducing the amount of exercise children are actively involved in. Many years ago children had to actively travel outside the home environment to meet friends and engage in social activities. Now technology has replaced this social need replacing it with a more isolated non-physical interactivity.

Diet is learnt from parents. What a parent eats, and how they prepare food directly influences and affects a child. The prevalence of fast-food chains as an easily readable food source and quick-easy meals are replacing traditional home cooked food. Another aspect to consider here is how a child’s individual preferences are a struggle for parents to cater for. The time allowed for a parent to cook several different meals for her family results in short cuts being taken. These short cuts are ready-made meals that are not ideal in terms of fat and sugar content.

Soft drinks also have become a replacement for water. With an increase in consumption of soft-drinks, so the increase of sugars occurs. Even allegedly healthy drinks contain very high levels of sugars and sweeteners such as aspartame.

Media also presents a problem in creating a sense of fear of the outside. Whether this is a fear of paedophilia, bullying, or terrorism the brainwashing effect is to present the outside as a hostile place. This fear causes a reluctance to engage not only in society, but the community as well.

As families begin to become dysfunctional the necessity for exercise becomes less of a priority. Parents do not engage or exercise with their children; even simple walking or cycling can help a family bond, create lasting memories and become generally healthier too. The removal of the sedentary lifestyle is the key to reducing obesity in children of Britain.

Children today are faced with a problem in that the fatter they become the harder it is to lose weight. Significant changes need to be made in diet, exercise and the position that parents take. They will have become conditioned into a sedate lifestyle from an early age.

The diet, lack of exercise and absence of parental guidelines on exercise will continue to allow the children of Britain to become fatter. Obesity is not only a health risk on later life but it will isolate a child even further in terms of social progress and the ability to form friendships.

http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information /directory/o/child-obesity

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