MEDICINE AND HEALTH

Obesity

Obesity

Introduction

It is a widely accepted fact that obesity is on the rise in the United States. The number of children suffering from obesity is at an alarmingly high level. The increase in the population of obese children has been rapid and there is an insignificant amount data on the subject that would allow assessment as to why and how did the situation deteriorate to such extent? It would not be wrong to consider the issue of obesity an epidemic. Some of the major reasons behind the rise in obese population are excessive or increase viewing of television, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise and eating disorders and patterns. It must also be kept mind that there have been significant changes in the society that have contributed to this increase in obesity. The article here in consideration covers the issue of obesity in two different sections. The first part focuses on the time, the amount of homework children are given, and how the media has played its role in the increase. The second part discusses the trends that are present in the choice of transportation modes, physical exercise and the type of food that is consumed.

The findings of this article showed positives that are being practiced to counter the increasing problem of obesity. The article found that the amount of spare time that children have has decreased significantly with children spending more time in school and day-care centers. This means children now spend less time at home. The positives that came out of the study were that there was an increase in the frequency of organized events or activities for children. The traditional unstructured approach to playtime has been abandoned and a layout has been developed for children that would allow them to engage in physical exercise. This has also ...