Post #11, April 19, 2009, Solution to a Growing Problem

Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States; according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007, about 16 percent of children (ages 6-19) in the US are overweight or obese. This is a relatively high number compared to the percentage in 1980 which is about three times as less. If these children don't change their eating habits, they will also have a great chance of becoming overweight adults. Well, what has caused more children to become obese since 1980? Of course a lack of exercise and unhealthy diet are factors, but in my opinion, with new technologies comes laziness and couch potatoes from the younger generation. New game consoles that have arrived in the 20th century, such as the "Xbox," "PlayStation 2," and the "Nintendo GameCube," and their more recent predecessors, have become popular pastimes for kids, teenagers, and even adults. As a result to new consumer products, some kids are more willing to play video games, watch TV on their family's new flat- screens, or use the computer than be active in sports.

One solution to lower child obesity rates in the US are for kids to eat more healthy, which means less on junk and more on the fruits and veggies. Although more school cafeterias have been strictly regulating food choices, such as banning junk- food, child obesity hasn't dropped in recent years. After reading the Newsweek article "Stealth Health For Kids," by Sarah Kliff, I've learned that researchers are testing techniques designed to push students towards healthier choices. Some of these methods include "verbal encouragement" from cafeteria servers and placing more lively labels for food items; I would definitely order a " tropical fruit medley salad" rather than a boring "fruit salad."

I think these are really clever ideas because they don't pressure kids into picking the healthier food items, which would probably have the opposite effect. I also think that lowering the prices of healthier choices, such as salads and fruits, and raising the prices of the more fatty foods, such as hamburgers and fries, would definitely encourage kids and teens to be more healthy. It completely surprises me that some schools would sell fruit salads at such a higher rate compared to the chips and greasy fries . Honestly, how could Americans complain about childhood obesity when it costs more money to be and stay healthy than unhealthy, especially when we are in a recession? However, I was also shocked when David Just, an economist at Cornell University who had worked with the USDA, suggested that schools should stop junk- food bans. He said, "Removing food choices is a good solution until they graduate or until they go to 7- Eleven on Saturday." I completely disagree with this because children are better off being denied the opportunity to buy junk- food in schools; selling junk- food to kids is just like selling them a ticket to an unhealthy lifestyle that could eventually lead to major health problems. Those bans make schools one less place to worry about as one of the factors of childhood obesity.

Here's a link for some simple tips to fight childhood obesity.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/family-health/back-to-school/tips-to-fight-childhood-obesity.aspx

To read more about the article, "Stealth Health for Kids," click on the link below.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/191430