CHILDREN AND OBESITY
Children are a product of their environments and, as such, develop much of themselves as a mirror of what they see. Parents who smoke yet forbid their children to smoke are sending mixed messages that do not validate their words; by the same token, mothers and fathers who instill healthy attitudes by displaying them do not present themselves as double standards. This is no different from the alarming trend of childhood obesity whereby children have learned all the wrong foods to eat out of parental convenience, laziness or lack of knowledge. Coupled with the sedentary activities of computers, video games and television, today's kids have little chance to offset the growing prevalence of obesity overtaking their generation; only with participation from parental and school influences can children ever hope to reclaim their appropriate weight.
Sodas, juice, portions, fast food, television, school lunches, and sedentary lifestyles are all environmental factors that parents and families must confront in their efforts to stop the obesity epidemic (Hassink A318).
Obesity is a rampant problem that impacts people of all ages, gender, cultures and socioeconomic status; however, with the sedentary, carbohydrate- and sugar-laden society kids are raised in these days, it can readily be argued how childhood represents one of the most distressing of all overweight populations. Children often forego the necessary elements of a proper and healthful diet in exchange for one full of simple sugars, worthless carbohydrates and empty calories, a cycle perpetuated by parents who fail to provide their kids with appropriate food choices. When protein is allowed into the diet, it is typically in the form of a fast food hamburger or bologna sandwich. Add to this
the inactive lifestyles so prevalent with contemporary children and the outcome of obesity manifests in such undesirable ways as poor school perfor