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  • Essay / Causes of childhood obesity and its effects on health

    It is indeed discouraging that a large proportion of people around the world are becoming obese. It is a serious socio-economic problem, largely attributed to modern lifestyles. Although the majority of parents today are very attentive to a healthy lifestyle, the number of obese children has increased sharply in recent decades. “In 2013, 42 million infants and young children were obese worldwide, and 70 million young children will be overweight or obese by 2025 if current trends continue.” It is true that being overweight causes serious health problems in children. There are four main causes of childhood obesity: Diet: junk food consumption, physical inactivity, genetic factors and stress/sleep deprivation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The most significant contributor to the childhood obesity epidemic is the consumption of junk food, particularly sugar, sweets and of drinks. Additionally, the use of ultra-processed foods available in advanced stores that are very high in artificial ingredients and have fewer dietary benefits leads to weight gain and diet-related chronic diseases. Today's children consume a large amount of concentrated starches and high-calorie foods. in correlation with children from around twenty years ago. For example, according to a study published in pediatric clinics in 2013, 14.6 percent of calorie intake in children under 2 years old comes from foods with added sugar, particularly soda and juice. Along with this, foods such as fried meals and other processed foods rich in trans fatty acids, which will seriously affect health and thus lead to weight gain. The American Heart Association recommends that replacing saturated and trans fatty acids in the diet with monosaturated and polysaturated fats helps reduce weight gain to some extent. Moreover, the size and quantity of foods are relatively larger these days. Children do not know how much food they eat at each meal. Mainly in restaurants and fast food centers, they offer high-calorie meals in one order and thus increase the energy intake more than necessary. The family situation has changed today: both guardians are activity experts and they have less time to plan their livelihood at home and the lack of parental guidance on diet is leading to unhealthy eating habits and obesity in children. The second key category of weight gain in children is physical inactivity. mainly through excessive use of electronic gadgets such as television, internet, video games and junk food advertisements. Young people are subsequently inactive in front of the television, they do not need to do outdoor entertainment, play sports or even take a walk. Watching television causes obesity not only by supplanting physical activities, but also through incessant food advertising. Television advertisements attract more children to poor quality foods, especially sugary foods and drinks. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), only 11% of girls and 24% of boys ages 11 to 16 are physically active at least 1 hour per day and only 30% of children take physical education classes. lessons in schools. Thus, the energy intake of calories is, 2008; 437-46