Nowadays, more and more children suffer from obesity. While this can be attributed to screen time growth and overconsumption of junk food, the solutions would lie in encouraging active exercises and eating at home.
One of the main reasons for childhood obesity is screen addiction. Today, with the flow of social media and digital entertainment, children spend the majority of their pre and after school time playing computer games, watching television or just surfing the internet. As a result, they spend their free time in front of a screen without single movement. Fast food accessibility can be another contributing factor. In many households, especially in those with two working parents, children eat junk food more frequently rather than homemade food. Unhealthy eating habits of children are further exacerbated by junk food becoming more accessible, as it is less time consuming and cheaper.
However, there are several ways by which the problem can be tackled. One effective measure to solve the problem is encouraging children to play active games. Parents can limit the screentime and play together with their children outdoors. Traditional games as hide and seek, tag or ball involved activities are the best examples of active exercise, where players both relax and burn some calories. Further approach is having family meal time regularly. Meal time structure is important, with evidence suggesting that families who eat together consume more healthy food. When children eat at home they are more likely to eat more homemade meal, fruits and vegetables. This can lead to formulation of healthy eating habits.
In conclusion, the main reasons behind the problem are icrease of screen hours and fast food addiction. However the problem can be effectively addressed, once the measure suggested are taken, such as promoting outdoor activities and eating with family members.