Child Obesity And The Factors That Produce Obesity In A Child - By: Don Saunders

As rates for obesity continue to climb in In the US and UK particularly it is not surprising that we are seeing a rising number of obese children. But precisely what causes obesity in our children?

As is frequently the case there is no single cause of childhood obesity and there are several things that produce obesity in our children.

It is generally the case for example that a child whose parents are overweight or obese will be overweight or obese and this suggests that there could be an inherited or genetic element to obesity. But, although this is presently being considered, no clear genetic link has yet been found and it is thought far more likely that it is the diet of the family which cause obesity rather than genetics.

In the last few years there has been a marked shift in eating habits with fast food restaurants springing up on every corner, junk food available everywhere and the shelves of our supermarkets groaning under the weight of 'convenience' foods that are generally very high in sugar. The days of home cooking are far behind us in many homes and have been replaced by microwave meals or take-away food. Indeed, more and more parents are now opting to take their children out for a hamburger instead of preparing a meal at home not just because it is easier than cooking a meal but also because they do not need to wash up!

In addition, we have witnessed a very significant fall in levels of activity for many groups of children, aided in no small measure by the arrival of video games consoles, computers and now the ever present mobile phone. Not surprisingly, as activity levels have fallen so our children have lost their normal ability to burn up the calories gained from eating more and more fast food.

Television, magazines, the Internet and other types of media also play a role as they dominate the lives of our kids and fast food, junk food and confectionary manufacturers are not slow in jumping onto this particular bandwagon and make full use of the advertising opportunity provided by the media. Many people argue that commercials have done more to fuel the rise in childhood obesity that almost anything else in the last few years.

There are also a number of psychological factors at play in the world today and a lot of children today simply eat whenever they get bored. They will also turn to the comfort of food whenever they find themselves angry, stressed, depressed or anxious.

At the moment a lot of research is being aimed at the causes of childhood obesity and its treatment and the majority of this is focused on solving the problem using a combination of diet and exercise once confronted with an obese child. But, with childhood obesity continuing to rise at a disturbing rate, perhaps it is now time to tackle the roots of the problem and to prevent our children from becoming obese in the first place.

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