Children becoming obese are considered to be one of the most urgent issues worldwide nowadays. Among the main causes of the problem one should mention a lack of physical activity in the century of computers and gadgets, as well as addition to fast food products. Both can lead to severe health issues in the future, if not addressed. The possible solutions could be school-based, introducing obligatory healthy eating habits lessons and family sports activities.
The root causes of childhood obesity are the sedentary lifestyle and junk food consumption rich in sugar and saturated fat. Being addictive, such unbalanced food can seriously interfere in the growing body metabolism and cause irreparable harm to an organism. Little do parents realize that such unhealthy habits lead to serious heart issues because of high cholesterol and lower level of blood circulation. According to the magazine Indian Pediatr publication in 2004, the genesis of Type 2 Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease begins in childhood, and the correlation of children being obese and having higher cholesterol level in blood leading to severe heart conditions was stated there as a matter of great concern.
Logical solutions to this problem would be to add healthy eating habits seminar as a regular part of the curriculum. That should go along with weekly entertaining sports activities involving the whole family held in schools. Haveing learned the basics of well-balanced nutrition, a child would know which food to choose in the canteen and see it as part and parcel of their everyday life. Moreover, participating in a family competition in counting calories or in a shuttle run would help children acquire new information on a healtheir lifestyle easier due to the game form. Not only would a child be surrounded by the supporting family members, but they could also add some physical activity to their weekly routine.
In summary, one of the major issues today is childhood obesity which is caused by sedentary behavior and junk food overeating and which can result in severe health problems in the long run. Possible solutions to address the issue could be school-based healthy eating habits lessons, being part of the curriculum, and weekly family sports competitions, raising children’s spirits and level of activity at the same time.