Childhood Obesity A Big Problem - 1318 Words

Parents do not have the time to cook for their children, not even the money to hire a maid. The only way to feed their children is going to eat at restaurants, mostly where the food is not as expensive and is done fast. â€Å"Obesity contributes to the number-one cause of death in our nation: heart disease† (Carmona, 2003). Heart disease, the number one cause of childhood obesity in America. Parents do not realize the risks their children are being placed in. Healthy food would decrease that risk, but even though some parents know the risk their child will be in the future, that does not change the choice that is made when walking into McDonalds or playing video games with their children for most of the day, instead of going to the park. The†¦show more content†¦The fact that a fast food restaurant, that is not even 5 minutes away from the schools and increases the obesity rate by â€Å"1.7 percent†, this should alarm the parents and the community for their ch ildren’s future health. Fast food restaurant are a problem, but what keeps that problem alive is the media. The media with the advertisements of good and cheap food, can influence a person s way of thinking,of whether or not to go buy some groceries and cooked themselves. The commercials that come up every 10 minutes about Wendy’s giving out â€Å"free fries â€Å" with a purchase of a salad can make someone get up from the sofa and go buy the special, to once again come back and sit in front of the Television and gain weight. â€Å"As the amount of media children consume continues to increase, so does children s exposure to advertising and food marketing†(Jones, 2011). The children watch all the commercials and get hypnotized by the television’s encouraging deals and good food. For example, the McDonald’s happy meals, that bring toys along, children love that. The parents love seeing their child happy, taking them every weekend is one of those habits, that are hard to ignore in the future. Unlike the media, the judgment of children on other children can lead to a negative emotional response. The judgement of children