Role of Fast Food in Increasing Childhood Obesity

Role of Fast Food in Increasing Childhood fleshinessThe pandemic of baby birdhood obesity is some function that should be concerning to the individuals of our country as it is something that cannister be stayed. Within the get 3 decades, child obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. In 1980, further or so 7% of US children mingled with the ages of 6 and 11 were obese, while in 2012 about 18% of them were. kindred results were seen in US children ripened 12 to 19 years old, jumping from 5% to 21% during that alike cartridge clip. A person is considered over saddle when they bring on excess body weight from toothsome, muscle, bone, or water for a certain height. A person who is considered obese has excess body fat (Adolescent and School health, 2014). Caloric imbalance, which is when more calories are consumed than expended, contributes to obesity and can be affected by an assortment of behavioral, genetic, and environmental factors.Cons idered both an environmental and behavioral factor, the use of fast- provender and widget feed contributes to higher obesity rates among children. The grounds of the fast-food industry has only sped up in the past 30 years, as fast-food bowed stringed instruments are chop-chop multiplying and popping up faster than ever before on every street corner. They are cognise to serve calorie-dense foods which are high in salt and fat, and low in micronutrients (Fraser, Clarke, Cade, Edwards, 2012). These pointless calories consumed in access to the sedentary lifestyles of many children cr cancel oute an obesogenic environment. Extra calories get stored as adipose fat and contribute greatly to obesity (Fraser et al., 2012). Today, over 50 million customers are served each and every day from more than 3,000 variant fast-food restaurants across the country. Promotional activities sponsored by these fast-food restaurants often target vulnerable populations including families with chi ldren or of low socioeconomic status, and strain that their products are quick and inexpensive meal replacements (Newman, Howlett, Burton, 2014). Like fast-food outlets, convenience stores are viewed as un wholesome since closely of the products on their shelves are non-perishable and can run low for long periods of time. The majority of the shelves in these shells of stores are stocked with snacks and altercate food. Seeing that segment sizes are importantly larger at fast-food and sit-down restaurants, they contain more calories and fat than meals prepared in the house would have (Lee, 2012). Many families opt for these alternatives be defecate they do not have the time to cook a meal in the home or they are trying to save silver and this is the only elbow room they know how to.Consuming fast-food and convenience food is un salubrious for people, especi all in ally children since their bodies are until now maturation and penury essential nutrients for proper developme nt. An additional 150 calories a day has been associated with children who choose to eat fast-food for one of their meals throughout the day (Lee, 2012). Extra calories get stored as adipose fat, which can lead to macrocosm overweight and becoming obese if not monitored closely. The negative effects are numerous and can last a lifetime. Immediate effects of childhood obesity include greater risk for cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and evolution asthma. Children can to a fault develop sleep apnea and trigger the onset of early puberty by scarce being overweight. This can cause a child to become self-conscious about their body mountain range because they are developing faster than their peers. If not monitored before a child reaches adulthood, they have a greater risk of becoming obese as an adult, which can then lead to problems such as stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and a variety of opposite cancers (Adolescent and School Health, 2014).The rate of childhood obesity is climbing in every country with rates around 10% for school- vulcanised children from all over the world. This is concerning since it is know that obesity can stay with a child through adulthood and cause disease. The more cordial grocery stores and farmers markets are, the smaller the risk a person has at becoming obese. While on the gelid end, the more one is surrounded by fast-food and convenience stores the higher their weight status usually is. In 2009, a study performed on 1,669 children indicated that 23% of them were overweight or obese. Additional findings included body weight to be 1.3 kg lower, BMI 0.5 kg/m lower, and body fat 1.1% lower in children who had access to supermarkets and food options than those who did not have this advantage (Jennings et al., 2011). Similar results were seen in another study that compared 72,900 children, from 17 different countries aged 6 to 7 years old. Twenty-three percent of the children give tongue to that they co nsumed fast food, while 4% of them said that they consume fast-food on a daily basis. The children who rarely came in contact with fast-food had an amount BMI of 16.35, those who consumed fast-food once or twice a week had an average BMI of 16.5, and those who consumed fast-food daily had an average BMI of 16.57 (Braithwaite et al., 2014). Consumption of fast food only gains as a child gets older into their teen years. The more frequent fast-food is consumed, the higher a childs BMI will be. Children are in a vulnerable state during their childhood, but also have an opportunity for extraordinary growth. It is important to nip these bad habits now, so they do not become the average in the future. A study of 13 to 15 year olds in the United Kingdom showed associations between eating fast-food and the increase of body fat. Persons who ate fast-food typically had 2% more body fat and change magnitude their odds of becoming obese by 23% (Fraser et al., 2012). Due to its expanding fra nchises, calorie dense products and large portion sizes, fast-food cooking stoves have become a major concern in several countries.Another thing to consider is the mess of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores in relation to the school and the home. At least one fast-food chain has been found within walking distance of about 37% of all schools around the country (Newman, Howlett, Burton, 2014). less inspection and repairs of fruits and vegetables and increased destinys of soda were seen in students who walked one half mile or less to a fast-food chain from school. The population of students who attended schools close to fast-food chains were more likely to be seen as overweight or obese than students who were not considered to be in that type of environment. In this study, the average BMI was 21.7 kg/m for students aged at least 12.5 years old. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), this is considered to be in the sizable weight range. With only 55% of chil dren attending a school within walking distance of a fast-food restaurant, 27.7% of the total sample was overweight and 12% were considered obese. A 0.10 unit increase in BMI was also seen in children who attended schools with a fast-food restaurant nearby (Davis Carpenter, 2009). Almost the same results were seen in a Leeds, UK population of 33,594 children ages 3 to 14. Of those living within the metropolitan boundaries, 27.1% of the population was overweight with 12.6% being obese (Fraser Edwards, 2010).Not only does fast-food cause an increase in BMI, but also increases a childs risk of becoming obese. The odds of being overweight increases 1.06 multiplication and the odds of being obese increases 1.07 times for children who attend schools that are in close proximity to a fast-food chain (Davis Carpenter, 2009). In a California-based study, the occurrences of obesity in high schools were significantly higher for students that could walk to fast-food outlets during or after sc hool (Lee, 2012). Another survey conducted at a medium-sized world school district in Virginia showed that students within one-tenth of a mile of any fast-food place were 3.9 times more likely to be obese and have an increase of 2.32 units in BMI. BMI increased another 0.40 units if in that location was another restaurant within one quarter of a mile (Mellor, Dolan, Rapoport, 2011). It is all about location children are more tempted to grab a bite to eat from a fast-food restaurant if it is on their way to and from school.Convenience food is another factor that contributes greatly to childhood obesity. In a national study, 9,760 children were track from kindergarten until the spring of their eighth grade on fast-food, snack, and soda consumption. Fifth-graders showed that they ate an average of 0.46 fast-food/snacks per day, while 12% of them consumed fast-food daily. The average soft drink consumption was 0.91 servings daily with 19% reporting that they had more than twice the d aily recommended serving (Andreyeya, Kelly, Harris, 2011). Another national survey states that an extra soft drink serving for children is associated with a 15% increase in the probability of obesity, while an additional serving of fast-food causes a 25% increase. Also, an extra serving of juice a day is associated with a 10% increase (Mandal Powell, 2014). An additional study of 350 kindergarteners in south-eastern Poland reported that 14.6% of all children were overweight. After reviewing their diets, it was found that most of the foods were calorie dense and loaded in added saccharify. Snacking was seen between all meals and the consumption of sugary drinks was high. At least once a week, fruit juice high in sugar was drunk by 66% of children and sweetened sodas by 44.6% of them. Furthermore, 58% of children ate only one serving of sweets per day, while roughly one third ate these treats multiple times per week. Research indicates that young children with a BMI above the 80th percentile are at three times the risk to experience obesity during the ages from 24 to 29. The risk even increases to four times for adolescents who are overweight (Kostecka, 2014).Even though more and more children these days are eating convenience food and fast-food, there are several ways parents, schools, and communities can help to prevent this from happening. Prevention programs must have an approach that aims to boost energy cost and slenderise intake. Individually, caregivers would need to be targeted since most children are too young to understand. Caregivers should have nutrition training and be able to prepare healthy meals. At home, parents should be encouraged to serve proper food portions, support physical activity, and minimize or remove sedentary behaviors. They should also prepare meals in the home versus grabbing fast-food on the run. A good view might be to make leftovers so that they can be heated up when in a time crunch. That way, the children are still getting a healthy and satisfying meal that gives them plenty of energy for whatever activities they might be doing. At school, school lunches can be altered to lower the caloric content and vending machines can be removed. That will eliminate any energy dense snack foods and sugary drinks, although children may still bring these kinds of snacks from home. Another idea for schools is to design their buildings so that students expend more energy throughout the day. This can be done by designing a multistory building where each succeeding class is on a different level which promotes significant stair stepping during the day. In the community, public policies and mass media campaigns can aim to promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle. The community can also place taxes on sugary items and fast-food in the hopes that the extra cost will deter people from purchasing these items. An example of a public policy that helps prevent child obesity can be seen in Arkansas. It called for ma ndatory BMI testing of children in public schools kickoff in 2003 (Han, Lawlor, Kimm, 2010). This type of testing has been used in 13 other states and should be considered in states shortly lacking this screening. This way, childrens weight can be monitored from an early age and preventative measures can be taken before it is too late.As one can see, the rate of childhood obesity has been growing rapidly all over the world. Rates are only going to keep increasing if vigor is done to prevent it. All the studies have shown that there is a positive association between BMI and fast-food intake, and BMI and convenience food intake. A higher BMI than the norm indicates that the child is either overweight or obese. Positive associations were also seen between BMI, obesity, and distance between fast-food/convenience stores and the home/school. It is our job as a community to reduce the prevalence of obesity in children. There will always be a continued need for nutritional education conc erning fast-food and its health consequences. Of the United States total gross domestic product, about 12.7% is spent on health care annually. Seeing that obesity is one of the most expensive medical conditions, the need for hitch is clear (Davis Carpenter, 2009).