NOWADAYS THE NUMBER OF OBESE CHILDREN IS INCREASING AT AN ALARMING RATE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CAUSES OF THIS AND HOW CAN THE PROBLEM BE SOLVED?

It cannot be denied that the number of overweight children is going up more than ever before. This is becoming a huge problem due to the fact that being obese provokes chronic illnesses related to cardiovascular system. Preventing children from having bad habits related to food and exercise, next generations around the globe would be healthier. The main issues that cause children gain weight over the years are family habits. Nowadays, parents in general spend many hours working so that they do not have enough time for cooking. Therefore, children end up eating prepared food. This kind of food, which is ready to eat when is bought at the supermarket or at take away restaurants, contains high amount of fats and it has a lack of vitamins. On top of that, kids love to have processed snacks such as fries or cakes. Another key point to stand out is the lack of exercise. Children do tend to spend most of the time at home playing video games or watching TV instead of outside playing with friends at the park. This new trend is turning their lives into sedentary ones. Bearing in mind which are the crucial factors that are provoking obesity among the little ones, potential solutions should be taken. On the one hand, education at home comes as a first thing to sort this issue out. If parents do not have time to cook in a healthy way, they should organise themselves to do it. For example, perhaps over the weekdays is not possible for them to prepare something for dinner. However, having more spare time at the weekends allow them to have something ready to cook quickly every day. In addition, grabbing a bite is essential for the majority of children so having healthy snacks such as nuts or fruit ready to eat for them it would be a great idea to teach them how to eat better for keeping themselves fit. On the other hand, practising exercise at school should be compulsory. Activities related to movement would be a good way to encourage children to spend with friends socialising and doing sport. To conclude, although a lack of healthy habits such as cooking or doing sport are converting next generations in overweight people, more education at school and at home teaching children how to have a healthy lifestyle would be essential as a solution.