childhood obesity statistics in america

Overview

It is no secret that more and more children are considered overweight every year. Many things contribute to the obesity crisis among children, but fast food is one of the largest. On any given day, according to CBS News, 1 / 3 of children ages 4 to 19 eat fast food meal. Many fast food chains are offering healthier alternatives, but have to buy instead of less healthy options to do any good.

Statistics

In 2003, 15 percent of U.S. children are obese, according to CBS News. With the continued rise of fast food restaurants opening in virtually every corner in America, it is no surprise to discover the rates are increasing in the correlation of childhood obesity. In his book, "Pediatric Obesity", Michael S. Freeman reports that fast-food sales increased 900% between 1975 and mid 2000. With these statistics continues to grow, American children are going to keep getting more and bigger, threatening their health.

Nutritional quality

Most fast food largely made up of ingredients that increase the amount of fat, calories, carbohydrates and sugar in it. This results in a meal that is low in nutrients, but also contributes to factors that increase the likelihood of obesity among children. According to the source of bariatric surgery, a diet high in these types of unhealthy components is directly associated with overweight and obesity. This is because much of the food in fast food is fried, doused in salt and built from sugars and carbohydrates like white flour, all of which are linked to negative health consequences of refining. The addition of a soda increases the risk of obesity 1.6 times per can of soda per day, reports of "Commercial Alert."

Serving Sizes

As if the nutritional quality of fast food was not enough of a problem, consider the size of the meals you get from your child and aggravated the problems associated with the ingredients. According to "Consumer Alert," the increase in fast food consumption is directly related to increased obesity. Added to this is the fact that the size of fast food meals has grown since 1970. The amount of sugar, fat and refined carbohydrates increases accordingly, leading to a diet that is prime for causing obesity. The results of this kind of diet increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Healthy fast food options

While many menu items at fast food restaurants are unhealthy, there are some things you can do that will allow your child to enjoy the occasional meal of fast food, while also protecting their health. Many fast food places now offer fruit or vegetables as an alternative side of fries and milk instead of soda. By making these types of options is increasing your intake of nutrients while reducing the amount of fat, sugar and unhealthy carbs and calories, which reduces the chances that she will become obese.