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Childhood Obesity Epidemic, By The Encyclopedia Of Science

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For the past few decades, the dire situation of obesity in America has gotten worse and is now affecting new generations of young Americans. Every day the poor eating and physical choices that children make can lead them to a life with diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. The unhealthy lifestyle that children have is influenced by their parents and the society that surrounds them. This unprecedented surge of poor lifestyle choices has lead to an epidemic that young children are now facing. Ultimately, the health of young children is at stake. Being obese is not just being overweight, but being overweight at an unhealthy level. The way to classify someone as overweight is by using their body mass index, better known as BMI. If someone has …show more content…

As stated in the Encyclopedia of Science’s article, obesity is affecting any child from any ethnicity or race, age, economic backing, or region. Hispanic children, African American children, native American children, and any other children with bad quality eating habits, especially in the south, are at an exceptionally higher risk. The southern part of America is known for their ‘comfort’ food, which is extremely fattening, and is the reason why children living in the south have an exceptionally higher chance of becoming obese. In the African American communities, as well as the Hispanic communities, nearly 40% of the children are overweight or obese. Children who are at a lower economic standing may have a higher chance of developing obesity, but that doesn’t mean wealthier children are immune. The site, Let’s Move states that without solving this issue, 1/3 of all children born after 2000 will suffer from diabetes at one point in their lives. Statistics from the Encyclopedia of Life Science show that this number is still growing and is being compared to the 7% of obese children and 5% obese teens in the 1980 's, to show the changes needed to be done in society. More action, now more than ever, needs to be taken against obesity. Obese children risk developing cardiovascular problems, cancers and as well as

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