Childhood obesity is growing and growing in the United States

Childhood obesity has grown tremendously!  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among children in the United States from ages 6 to 19 has nearly tripled the last 30 years. This alone tells us that our children are eating more and exercising less.

Obesity is controlled by genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors, and at a young age this disease  has both short and long-term health problems. Yes it is true that some races have more childhood obesity than others. Also, low-income families don't always have a choice in providing healthy foods for their children. Fast-foods are not just popular because they taste good. They are also popular because they are convenient and with households requiring both parents to work, convenience is sometime the only option.

Problems associated with obesity in children

• elevated blood cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• heart diseases
• bone and joint problems
• sleep apnea
• social and psychological problems (stigmatization and poor self-esteem)
• predisposition to obesity in adulthood
• diabetes
• stroke
• several types of cancers
• death at an early eage

Ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic 

• providing children a healthy balanced diet 
• limit video games and television (educate your children on how watching TV contributes to obesity
• encourage increased physical activities
• encourage more participating in school sports 

Partaking in any of the above to fight obesity will significantly reduce the risk of children becoming obese and developing diseases. There are now nine states in the United States with a childhood obesity prevalence rate greater than 30%. Tennessee is one of those states. In fact, more than half of the children who live in Tennessee are either obese or overweight. First lady Andrea Conte in Nashville isn't taking this lightly. She is fighting back, putting forth efforts to increase parents awareness of this growing problem as well as coaching parents in how to help their children develop healthier lifestyles.

Obesity kills, whether someone is younger or older, and the growing epidemic of childhood obesity is our responsibility to overcome. Parents of an obese child may even be charged with child abuse if they didn't do anything to prevent them from endangering their health. We as parents have the power to take control over our children lives, guiding them and directing them to healthy living. All parents have the responsibility to show their children the way to go so that they may endure long healthy lives and not premature deaths.