Childhood Obesity is Running Out of Control

By: Hannah, Sara, and Mitch

Before television was invented, kids would spend most of their day running around outside. But, as the years passed and television progressed, the number of kids running around outside decreased and is still decreasing. Once industries and companies found out that children were drawn towards television, they started advertising more towards children ages 12 and under according to MSNBC Article: Stopping Advertising Junk Food to Kids.

Its a known fact that kids who watch television more than exercise have a greater chance of becoming overweight. National Institute on Media and the Family Fact Sheet states that kids who watch many hours of television are seeing many commercials and advertisements from companies. These ads are telling kids to buy "healthy" food with your favorite cartoon character on it. In reality, those foods are going to end up hurting them.

Parents can help stop this obesity wave by putting time limites on the amount of television kids can watch. National Institute on Media and the Family also states that by limiting T.V. hours, parents are limiting their child to the amount of un-healthy ads that are shown. Also, schools can help by adding more physical education classes. This whould help because kids who are addicted to T.V. would get a chance to  get some kind of physical activity.

220 Amherst Avenue

Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085

1 June 2007

The Sheboygan Press

623 Center Ave.

P.O. Box 358

Sheboygan, WI 53081 

Editor:

Obesity has grown to be a huge problem. Kids are not realizing how important their health really is. But with the help from their parents, children could get an idea of how important being healthy and in shape is.

One way parents could help their children, is by cutting back on the long hours of television they watch. By doing this the option of going outside and running around is floating in the air. Another way is to introduce healthy food into the house. By doing this, parents are eliminating the un-healthy food factor and are helping their kids take one step towards a healthier life. Physical activity is also a great way to keep your children from becoming obese. Even running around for and hour everyday could make a big difference.

Childhood obesity is overwhelming the nation. If parents and kids could work together and stop this obesity wave, children would not have to worry about diabetes or other heart conditions. So keep your child healthy by setting an example of eating healthy foods and getting physically active.

Hannah, Mitch, and Sara

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