Fast Food and the Risk of Childhood Obesity Essay

The luxuriant solid regimen industry promotes childhood obesity by manipulating the pentad-year-old mind, putting them at risk for wellness complications such as hypertension and diabetes. The super-sizing of America is been a frequently talked about subject leatly. Especi either(prenominal)y since it is seem to fox contradict effects on the health of children and adults alike through massive purpose of betting nutriment. Health providers and different authority figures be nowadays touch about childrens obesity reats shown during the past 3-4 decades.They piddle now drawn a close connection between riotous forage and obesity and identified a childhood obesity epidemic with increase negative health factors. According to the American journal of public health, 2005 family issue, fast feed retail sales in the United States have increased 900% from $16. 1 billion in 1975 to a projected $153. 1 billion in 2004, during the past 3 decades. The numbers of fast diet restau rants tar bring downing child and adolescent customers are found to be clustered just about instills.With the addicting flavors and affordability of fast solid food has contributed to adjusting the young minds gradu solelyy to grab the quick tiffin without second thought. Apart from the m whatsoever types of fast food offered inside the civilize cafeteria, Studies have shown the fast food restaurant outlets are multiplying around the school grounds and neighborhood. The American Journal of Public Health estimated that thither are 3 to 4 times as m either fast-food restaurants within 1. km from schools than would be expected if the restaurants were located around the city in a management unrelated to schools. They also reveals that the median distance between any school to the nearest fast food restaurant is only 0. 5km, which means, there is only a walk of little more than 5 mints for any kid to grab that delicious treat. Some schools in the realm have already begun the fight against the fast food epidemic, although theyre a very often less(prenominal) percentage of the whole. The marketing strategies utilize by fast food brands mostly target children and adolescents.In his book Fast forage Nation, Eric Schlosser describes the accounting of child marketing explaining the concept of kid kustomers McDonalds was the first fast food chain to direct their marketing towards kids. Schlosser explains how McDonalds alsok on the certain strategy from Disney, who by the time had unders overlyd the way to success is approaching the kids and who intern pass on attract a third party to the equation. They understood that the ruff way to make sales with adults was to lure the children who would keep whining until they got what they want. The ast food industry does non stop until it would possibly attract every single kid kustomer possible. ascendant with famous cartoon characters, the fast food industry started give away(predicate) free toys to children as compliment. They promoted unique collections of the current child attractions of super heroes and other toys such as stuffed animals and army troops. The constant advertising of such accumulators editions, scratch and wins, party hosting ides with fun activities and also, the building of personal romp grounds with structures was and still is a major attraction strategy used by the fast food industry.They know how to manipulate a young mind in to thinking that love and care is about giving you food that tastes so good, and giving away free toys. The sole worry is non in just the types of fast food that is served in fast food restaurants-which are obviously fatty, oily and gritty in dulcorate content-but also in the characters. The stack size was drastically increased oer the past couple of decades, bringing the once Large size portion as the now small size and having 5 categories as small, medium, large, supersize and jazz group meals in the ascending order.The trick is, eve ry time you go for the bordering bigger portion, the customers are made believe that they get more for less price, in turn making the sale a worthwhile exchange. Since it is all about the visual of it, the customers tend to over look that whether it is more for less, it is all too much than what anybody needs to consume per meal. Fast food tastes best when they are fresh out of the restaurant. No matter how big the portion is, fast food can be hardly eaten as leftovers. So children have gradually trained their stomachs-adults likewise-to hold fattier, oily, sugary foods that come in super sizes.The initial issue seemed to be just creation sarcoid and obese, as these children who consume more fatty foods than necessary grew up to be a fat generation of adults. But now, the fast food behemoth has swelled bigger and wilder that it brings children exact health issues at much younger ages. Children in the United States are currently considered to be liner an obesity epidemic. Ove rweight and obese children are diagnosed with a number of health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Cholesterol and Lipid abnormalities, Hyperinsulinemia and hindering Sleep Apnea.In her book, Underage and Overweight, Frances M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist and supplementary professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine stated that during the 1990s, cases of symptomatic diabetes for all ages rose 33% nationwide. She also explains by 2004 diabetes was the seventh track cause of death in the United States and is the main contributor to health problems like heart disease, stroke, blindness, high profligate pressure, kidney disease and amputation which occurs with increased relative frequency in overweight children and adolescents.Although many fast food restaurant businesses reason that they do non serve unhealthy food to their customers, the fact body that since the rise of fast food restaurants, the obesity epidemic has only grown alarmingly. And a s menti atomic number 53d before, the portion size has massively increased, contributing to this epidemic every step of the way. This is now not just a concern of undivided willpower but also a fight to save the nation as a whole. Studies show that children can be brain rinse to believe in anything with little incentives.With the fast food industry being the top manipulators of childrens mind, they keep stuffing themselves with the mouth watering hamburgers, hot up and shakes. Apart from these critical health problems, obesity brings in other issues to a childs life. David Ludwig, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard medical exam School has dedicated his life to researching and contributing to overweight reduction in children. He is the director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Childrens Hospital Boston, one of the largest clinics for overweight children and their parents.In his book, Ending the Food Fight, Lundwig explains the Vicious Cycle of poor pa bulum and inactive life mode which fosters many other negative factors in between. He lays out a great picture of poor diet that resembles over eating, that lowers metabolism, resulting in calmness and low motivation leading to an inactive life trend. Once this life style is acquired, the amount of calories stored in the body increases, causes fatigue and boredom, results in low self esteem that succumbs to temptation for comfort food which contributes again to the poor diet that started out the cycle.He also explains in detail how obesity collectable to high-glycemic food intake-the type of food available at fast food restaurants-result in complications in a child in his/her Brain, Heart and blood vessels, lungs, digestive tract, hormones and also psychological health. corpulency is also a get a line factor in most childrens self esteem and transaction levels. Dr. Sylvia Rimm, a Child Psychologist and clinical professor at Case horse opera Reserve University School of Medi cine describes in detail the contribution of Obesity in depression and quality of life of children.She mentions In a nationwide representative survey conducted in 1996-1998, researchers reported that more than 60% of kids ate 5 servings of food fruits and vegetables a day. Unfortunately these results were based on a broad range of vegetables that included potatoes. In illuminating potatoes from the vegetable group, Sylvia states, children who consumed five servings of fruits and vegetables a day dropped to 30%. This means the consumption of fast food is quite often as the most popular method of potato intake is through fries and fries are often not consumed by itself.The 30% that actually dropped was consuming 5 portions of potatoes a day. Rimm shows a wide range of analysis and research done on over weight/obese children on Self Description of Intelligence, Self-Description of Grades in School, Self-perception of Intelligence, self-deception of work ethic, Self-description of A thletic etc, of all which with ought a failure represented the obese and overweight children in the more negative side of the chart.When childhood artlessness takes a turn in emotional fields like this, it is high time that there is even greater attention be presumption to the issue of fast food that make unhealthy little kind beings who are not only physically but also emotionally malfunctioning. To bring back attention to the facts and analysis made on the fast food industry and childhood obesity obesity is currently exposing an wretched epidemic in children who consume the wrong types of food, in wrong amounts. The fast food industry promotes sales by manipulating the childrens mind with toys and other prize promotions, luring them in the friendly caring restaurants.Children not only get to have happy meals, but they get rewarded with toys and more importantly critical health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and other heart and mental illnesses. The emotional lives of yo ung children which is critical to having healthy physical and mental conditions in future is also subjected to being obese/overweight resulted in too much unsuitable food intake. Being from a South Asian country, I myself have faced the discomfort of fast food dependence as I grew up.I preferred less activity and ate out more times a week than necessary and cease up with low self esteem during my high school years. I was bullied I did not have guys who were at all interested in me or even good grades. I am just one person who went through this painful process of growing up with too much tasty food. But I know there are many more who are entangled in the same web. It is not easy to wake up one day and say to yourself, Im not going to be discouraged. We need help. And if as a whole world people need to stand up for the expel of the problem, fast food, then isnt it worth the try?