This was a study done by UNLV’s Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, showing 1 in 3 kids are obese before hitting kindergarten, I know poor diet and lack of activity are the main contributors to this but how or when did this happen?
I grew up in the late 70's early 80's and when in school you maybe saw one or two kids that were over weight. Now it seems you are lucky to find one or two kids at a healthy weight.
It seems as Americans we have all gotten lazy. No time to cook a decent meal, get fast food. Want a lot of food, go to a buffet. For children though I don't believe it is just about eating the wrong food, I think it is more about the lack of activity.
When I was a kid I ate a lot of junk, and I was still almost too skinny. I was also very active, riding my bike, played soccer for 8 years and baseball for 2 years, so I attribute my activity to keeping me skinny.
The most we had as kids was Atari, but at that time video games were only for the times you couldn't go outside and play. My parents had to drag me inside.
Now it seems kids would rather sit in front of a TV and play video games, than play outside being active.
Children need guidance, so where are the parents telling their children, "Go outside and play".
Why isn't childhood obesity looked at as a form of child abuse? Parents are endangering their children by allowing this to continue. Yes I know I am probably going to get a lot of hate mail for that statement, but why is no one asking this question?
If you Google, "Definition of Child Abuse" you see results like, " the physical or emotional or sexual mistreatment of children", so let's break this down.
- Emotional Mistreatment - generally anyone that is overweight usually suffers emotionally, from being overweight. People make comments, the person themselves don't like what they see in the mirror.
- Physical Mistreatment - children that are obese have more health risks than children that are of normal weight.
OK so after we broke it down...doesn't this look like abuse?
Another thought that comes to mind for the cause of childhood obesity, are parents being too protective of their children?
It seems now kids are allowed to get bumps or bruises. When I was a kid and you had a scab on your knee it was like a badge of honor, there was always a good story that went with it. An adventure you had that made a lasting memory.
Nowadays playgrounds have canopies over them, there is rubber mulch under playground areas, and every kid on a bike wears a helmet.
Now I am not condoning letting your kids run amuck, but they need to get out an experience life. Keeping children so "safe" could be one of the causes of their obesity problem. Does this phrase run though our kids minds, "I am not allowed to do anything outside, so I'll just sit here on the computer"?
I even see billboards now stating kids should get at least on hour of activity a day...what? I can't believe PSA's have to tell parents to make their kids be active.
If you feel strongly about the problem of childhood obesity we want to hear from you. Leave your comments below., and tell your kids to go outside and play, they will thank you when they get older.
