A Look at Childhood Obesity
By: Thomas Davila
Childhood obesity has become a huge problem throughout the country, and this is a subject that has been ignored since Barack Obama was president. According to the Mayo Clinic, childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control says that childhood obesity is calculated by a persons body mass index (BMI).
Obesity can lead to a plethora of other health problems: high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control defines diabetes as a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.
When is someone considered obese?
Obesity is determined by a persons body mass index (BMI). If a ten year-old boy is 56 inches tall and weighs 102 pounds then they are considered obese.
How someone eats is a major contributor to how someone becomes diabetic.
The pandemic has changed the way a person eats.
Fast food chains like McDonald's, Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr. are just some of the fast food establishments that people frequent.
Being in a pandemic there would be more cooking at home. Cooking takes too much energy and time. People want their food now.
Food delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats are profiting big time, because of the pandemic.
Just like the adults want their food, now so do kids. They do not want a somewhat healthier home cooked meal. They want the number ten with an Oreo McFlurry from McDonald's or two hamburgers with secret sauce from Jack in the Box.
Think of the documentary Super Size Me in which Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald's for breakfast, lunch and dinner for thirty days. Towards the end of the documentary, Spurlock's girlfriend begged him to stop eating McDonald's because he had bad heart palpitations. Imagine how a little kid would feel if he or she did that. They would be sick or possibly worse.
In 2002, a group of teenagers sued McDonald's because they gained a lot of weight from eating their food, and they actually won the case. Since then, McDonald's had to change up their menu options to a healthier alternative as opposed to what they were giving their customers.
Kids do not think of the health risks of eating these types of foods. Adults should know better, and it is not right for not teaching their kids how to eat right.
Those born with an underlying condition are at greater risk of becoming obese and having diabetes as they get older, because they lack the proper nutrients needed in order for their bodies to function.
In addition, people born with an underlying condition have a greater chance of becoming obese and contracting other health problems as they grow older. This is due to a person that is handicapped or disabled, and not being as mobile as a person that can walk.
Obesity has been a major issue in our country and because of the Covid-19 pandemic, fast food has become easily accessible for people especially for the children throughout the country.