Band 6+: A rise in childhood obesity is a real threat to health with an increasing number of children now classified as overweight. What are the causes of the problem and what measures can be taken to solve them? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Overweight is considered a real threat to children’s health as obesity’s figure has been increasing over the years. Some of the causes for this problem are the lack of physical activities and movement. Another big factor is the food, unless we consume organic food which is very expensive, most of the food contains preservatives, and high amount of sugar and sodium, which is harmful for our health. Some possible solutions are to guide parents through educational lectures and ban these ultra-processed products from the shops.

The biggest difference nowadays is that kids do not leave their houses to meet their friends, they are not interested in play outdoors anymore, because spending time with their friends can be easily done from their houses through their phones. This leads to a lack of physical movement, no sports or outdoor activities can be done from home. Instead they are attached at a screen.

In addition, ultra-processed food has overtaken the market, children are being fed with more sugar, fat and sodium that people in the past. In general terms, people’s diet has changed. We do not consume as much fibre and protein as before as the prices have been going up for healthy products.

There is a lot of misinformation in society about healthy and unhealthy food, I believe that children and specially parents can be guided into this topic with some lectures at children’s schools. By teaching them basic knowledge such as right portions in each meal, how many grams of protein, vegetables, and carbs are needed and what to look at the nutrients table, we could reach a better diet overall. This solution along with banning harmful products from the shops that contain excess of fat and sugars, might do a huge difference in children’s lives.

In conclusion, overweight is a real problem that is being caused by lack of physical activity and the change in food we consume today, and it will affect everyone if we do not take action. By instructing parents and kids in nutrition and removing unhealthy food from the market, I believe we can start solving the issue.