Band 6+: In many countries, childhood obesity is a growing problem. What are the reasons for this and what can individuals and governments do to tackle the problem?

Individuals at young ages are increasingly reporting body weight that is above average. This could have resulted from the rise in consumption of fast food and the lack of exercise. To solve this issue, people can conduct community activities that encourage physical activity and healthy eating habits. While, authorities can amend policies that restrict the amount of harmful ingredients like sugar in products consumed by the public.

One of the reasons of which young generations may end up having high body fat levels is the great consumption of food with high sugar rates. Young children find it tempting to indulge junk food, rather than choosing a boiled eggs with avocados, because it tastes better. Another reason is because it is more accessible and easy to find at supermarkets and schools. In addition, some parents would choose to buy chocolates and chips as ready-to-serve snacks or purchase frozen fired chickens because it is easy to prepare.

Another reason where kids experience an increase in their weight, is not working out. When schools do not provide physical education classes and when parents presume a sedentary lifestyle, their offspring would have similar habits.

On the one hand, to tackle this issue, community members can conduct weekly activities to encourage their affiliated neighborhoods to become more active. For example, they can organize a marathon, dancing championships or a sports competition. Authorities, on the other hand, can limit the amount of sugar levels in beverages and foods that are sold in restaurants and supermarkets. For instance, they can oblige 100 calories for one can of soda, and a total of 200 calories for a chicken burger kids meal. This will greatly affect the amount of fats being consumed by young generations and therefore it will positively affect their health.

In conclusion, the existing unhealthy life routine that young people pursue is undeniable. Society and governments can both work to solve this matter by supporting the community to be more active, and by constricting the amount of carbs served in foods that people buy. This would eventually lead to more healthy young population.