Obesity

Obesity is something that has become out of hand over the past years.   Obesity results from an energy imbalance.   Our body needs a certain amount of calories from food to keep up basic life functions.   Body weight tends to remain the same when the number of calories eaten equals the number of calories the body uses.   Over time, when people eat and drink more calories than they burn, the energy does not balance out and causes weight gain or obesity.   Obesity is a condition of excess body fat.   Obesity can affect any person from young children to older adults.   There are numerous amount of health issues following obesity if it is not stopped and control today.   There are many causes of obesity such as over-eating, the environment, and lack of physical activity.   The media and parents have a big impact on how to change the obesity rate although the schools could promote healthier actions.

The media can have a huge impact on children and what they eat.   According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.   In 2008, 1.5 billion adults aged 20 and older were overweight or obese and 65 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight.   Media is a major reason for obesity and this is the way most people keep children occupied.   There are a countless number of television programs and stations for children of all ages.   With this wide variety, children are able to spend hours watching television which requires no physical activity, so children rarely, if ever participate in any physical activities outside of the school setting.   This leads to inactivity, which consequently, may lead to obesity.   The media also contributes to obesity in children because of their junk food advertisements.   During these programs, many food advertisements come on causing impulse eating.   With the inactivity and impulse eating, children are more susceptible to become obese.   Most...