Sadly in today’s world, there is a growing epidemic of obesity. This is something that is becoming common in people of all ages, especially in the United States. Obesity is something that the world is trying to fight. However, many things are compromising the changes people and even the governments are trying to make. Many people are unaware of what kinds of foods are causing this epidemic. Many people do not think that this is a problem; many think that this is just people being lazy, and not a nationwide problem.
There have been many ways that people have been trying to fight obesity. One of the biggest changes we have seen over the years is that First Lady Michelle Obama has been promoting a healthy lifestyle for everyone. She is encouraging people to take the first steps and eat healthy. She has helped create the “Let’s Move” campaign. Obesity is something that she is trying to get everyone to join in to fight; she has even appeared on the Disney channel to be able to reach out to children. This is something that she is truly trying to make a difference in and to show that it is possible to change. This program that she has helped create is not just for obesity, it is to help promote a healthy lifestyle for anyone and everyone.
The childhood obesity rates have tripled over the years. Some may say that childhood obesity is caused because of lazy parenting; many families do not have time to cook their meals. This is another thing that has changed over time because nowadays most families are two-income families, and there are more dinner outings. Fast food chains have become more of a convenience to families and you can see that, especially in the waistline of many. This is one big reason in which the number of obese children has increased. Children especially are not educated enough and their parents do not always know exactly what the children are eating when they are not home. Most children these days do not go outside to play. In this generation, children would rather be playing a video game or being on the computer than going outside to play. This is something that has had a big impact on the percentage of children who are overweight or even obese.
There are people in this world who think that being obese is not a bad thing. There have been some who think that if they are happy it should not matter what others think. However, there is proof that the cost of healthcare and living has increased along with the percentage of obese people in the world. This means that more than likely the number of obese people in the world is going to continue to rise unless something changes. This would also cause the healthcare cost to increase regardless of an individual’s weight. This is a serious problem because in the years to come if the cycle continues; the economy would then suffer even more.
There has been a lot of change that has started to happen with obesity; since this has been brought to the attention of many. One example is the fast food chains, they have stopped serving larger quantities of beverages and fries. Another larger and I believe better change has been in school districts. They have taken out most of the unhealthy snacks and sides to lunches and have put in more fruits and vegetables. This is very helpful for children because this will teach them at a young age what choice to make as they get older and hopefully they will make a heather choice. This is going to take a lot of work to see a change in the numbers, but hopefully, it’s a good start.
http://www.letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
