Obesity

"One of the greatest health risks affecting American youth today is childhood obesity. An individual who is considered obese has a disproportionately large amount of fat stored in the body, beyond the point of simply being overweight. While the definition of exactly how much fat constitutes obesity is still in flux, obesity is having excess weight enough that serious health risks are incurred by the individual. Many health professionals consider the vast amount of overweight people in our country to be of such epic proportions that it is actually known as an epidemic of fat. This condition is especially dangerous to children, and the number of obese children is growing at an alarming rate. Far from just being an issue of aesthetics or conformity, obesity may be the single biggest overall threat to the health of children in developed Western countries. While our popular culture is obsessed with the image of the thin and fabulous, this same culture is breeding generations plagued by obesity and the complications that are associated with this condition. Childhood obesity is a very serious health concern due to the medical risks and social implications, therefore the possible causes of obesity in children should be studied and identified, while a wide range of treatment options should be carefully considered."

"Many nutrition experts blame this trend on poor nutrition and sugar snacks. Deborah Crooks criticizes the sale of unhealthy snacks in schools, saying many of these snacks are "high in fat and sugar" (Crooks, qtd in "Sale of snack foods in schools may contribute to obesity in children"). Many of these snacks are dispensed from bright vending machines and packaged in wrappers containing popular cartoon or movie characters and even celebrity endorsers."

"Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem in the United States. Not only does excess weight lead to medical and psychosocial disorders in children, there is a strong link between childhood obesity and adult obesity. Exacerbating the problem are trends in eating patterns favoring more and more convenience foods, of which fast foods are the most harmful. Fast foods are high in fat, sodium, and sugar while low in essential nutrients. The consumption of fast foods has had a direct impact on the increase in childhood obesity among American youth. Obesity in children is defined by how much