
Childhood obesity in America has become a growing problem over the years. Over the last ten to fifteen years' technology growth has been at an all time high. In the past it was normal for kids to come home from school and immediately go outside and play until it was time for dinner. Now, kids come home from school and immediately sit down in front of the TV. Whether they are playing video games, surfing the web, or watching a TV show kids today spend more time in front of a screen than any other generation. In the last thirty years, childhood obesity has more than doubled. This is a very alarming statistic, and should be taken seriously when it comes to the health of Americans. There are three factors that go along with screen time which have been found to relate to childhood obesity. These are TV watching over an extended period of time, kids who have TV sets in their bedroom, and forming TV habits early lead to obesity in children. 

Obesity in America has been steadily growing over the years. America is home to the largest number of overweight and obese people. We are ranked the number one fattest country, with China and India falling at two and three.  According to Everyday Health, 70.9 percent of men and 61.9 percent of women in America are overweight or obese. Compare this to 38 percent of men and 36.9 percent of women worldwide. Those percentages don't stop at adults. The number of overweight boys and girls in America is also almost double what it is worldwide. The CDC came out with a report stating that overweight or obese preschoolers are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as they become adults. 

Technology is also rapidly growing in America. It is not uncommon to see kids as young as two and three years old working an ipad or tablet. As toddlers they already know what TV shows they like, and expect to always have technology in their hands. Video game have also increased over the past few years. They have been consuming todays kids, and take away from physical activity kids could be participating in. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that kids who watch five or more hours of TV each day have a four and a half times greater risk of being over weight when they are older. Sitting in front of a screen when kids could be playing outside, being active is a serious problem today. Harvard has done several trials which showed that when kids reduce the amount of time they are sitting in front of a screen, their body mass index also declined. Many of the trials used schools to get the studies done. Middle school classrooms used their lessons to encourage more physical activity, and stray away from TV and screen time. The kids who were encourages to do more physical activity had lower rates of obesity in girls.  

There are many serious health problems associated with obesity. Death, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type two diabetes are just a few of them. There is also a financial impact to our country. There was an estimated $147 billion dollars spent on medical care costs of obesity. When people do not take care of their bodies and become overweight, they increase their risk of all of these diseases. In turn they have to be treated, and this is where all of that money is going. Not only does obesity have physical and economic implications, it also takes a toll on the armed forces. According to the CDC in 2007-2008, 5.7 billion men and 16.5 billion women that were eligible to enlist did not meet the enlistment standards for weight and body fat. This is a serious problem because without people to enlist in the army there will be no one ready in a time of war. 

The CDC has also done extensive research which shows that the ads which are being played on TV. Kids constantly see food-related commercials while they are in front of the screen. These ads are almost always for high calorie, low-nutrients foods and drinks. One experiment was done which showed that kids who watched TV shows with food commercials ate 45 percent more snack foods while watching than kids who were watching a show with non-food commercials. While it may be subconscious, if kids are watching someone else eating food, or simply see food while watching TV, they will then want to consume more food than normal. Cutting down on these types of commercials would help to reduce the amount of greasy and unhealthy food kids are consuming today. 

Overall obesity is a huge problem in our country today. Starting with kids we can try to reduce the number of people who carry this problem into adult hood. Reducing the amount of time spent in front of a TV can greatly reduce the chance of obesity. While this is obviously not the only factor involved, it is one that has an easy fix. If parents have their kids involved in a sports team or even play outside for a few hours, it can greatly reduce the number of people who carry obesity with them through their life. 

