There is a lot of controversy about the issue of child obesity. No one can really pinpoint the exact cause of obesity but many people say that childhood obesity is the result of fast food and/or video games. Those that say obesity is because of video games say that video games promote inactivity. We all know that video games are fun and they are a nice thing to do when we are bored. But in reality, video games don’t really help us at all, and really prevents kids from getting any physical activity in their day. Most video games do not involve any physical activity. Yes, there are some games like Dance Dance Revolution and Wii that have some games that require you to move and be active but those are only helpful if you play for over an hour, every day. Video games also make a lot of kids eat unhealthy food. When kids are playing a certain game, they are so intently focused on the game and if they get hungry, they need a quick snack to eat. The easiest way for them would be to grab a bag of chips or candy so that they can just reach for the food and shove it in their mouths. Kids also opt for pop; it’s easy to get and it’s simple to just go grab a can out of the fridge and have it at your side. Junk food is just easier for kids to eat when they play video games. Also, when kids play video games, they are replacing outdoor games. Doing activities outside promotes healthy physical activity. When playing video games, they are not getting the physical activities that they need. A study done in Switzerland reported that for the children that played video games, they doubled their risk of obesity. But is video games the real cause of childhood obesity? Is there something else that also leads to obesity? Others believe that child obesity is from fast food. Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4-19 eat fast food, which causes the children to put on about six extra pounds each year. Billions of dollars are spent every year on fast food. Many people say that child obesity is from fast food because fast food is the simplest way to get food when on the run or when you are just hungry and don’t feel like making your own food. Kids don’t even have to go out to get fast food-the fast food is inside of the schools as well. There are poor eating choices for children at schools so instead they get greasy foods at school and then they possibly get fast food for their dinner. Fast foods are packed with fats, sugars and carbohydrates that do not do anything for children. Children beg their parents to go to places like McDonald’s and Burger King so that they can get the toys that come with their meals. The way the fast food companies advertise their food to show the kids what ‘prize’ they can receive from eating at that place makes the kids more likely to go eat at that food joint.
So what do you think…is fast food to blame for childhood obesity or is it video games?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325.shtml (fast food)
http://obesity.ygoy.com/2008/11/08/playing-video-games-may-lead-to-obesity/ (video games)
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I agree completely with everything that was said in this blog post. I do agree though that video games are the criminal mastermind behind childhood obesity. There are so many different variety of video games out there, and it has become the American child's favorite pasttime...which I think is very sad to think about. There are so many bad influences that sway children in the wrong direction these days, and I just think that video games are another one of the influences. I do not think that fast food chains are all to blame though, because they are just another business out in the working world trying to get by, and make money from consumers. Also, it is required for many restuarants to post nutrition information where it can be seen by everybody, so ultimetely it is up to the consumer whether to make healthy eating choices or not. Overall, great blog post, and I think the key points were clearly pinpointed.
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