

The CDC defines overweight as having a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9, and obese as having a BMI of 30.0 or higher. Lisa Sutherland conducted a study which looked at what types of foods and brands were shown in movies, between 1996 and 2005, and how this varied based on their rating. She found that movies targeted towards children and adolescents were more likely to feature brand appearances, such as McDonalds or Pepsi, than an R-rated movie which kids would most likely not be watching. When kids are engaging in these activities, they are not going outside and doing something physical. This has contributed to rising obesity rates over the years in America. Obesity has become a growing problem in America, and the world, effecting countries rich and poor. This disease effects both children and adults of all ages. Today it is not uncommon to see a toddler using an Ipad or a tablet, or sitting in front of a TV for extended periods of time. More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese and 17% of children ages 2-19 years are considered to be obese (CDC). Over the last 30 years childhood obesity rates have more than doubled. There has also been a significant rise in technology over the years. Playing video games, watching TV, and surfing the web are all factors that take kids away from physical activity. This paper will be addressing the obesity problem in America among adults and children, why this is a serious problem for our country, and what can be done to fix it. Parents should do more when it comes to their kids being more active in their daily life, and take control of the amount of screen time they are partaking in. More money should be allocated to programs that are already set in place to combat obesity by the government. 

America is home to the largest number of overweight and obese people. This should not come as a surprise to anyone as this has been the case for many years. It is especially a growing problem in urban areas where fast food restaurants are being built at an alarming rate.  Today 70.9% of men and 61.9% of women in America are obese. Obese preschoolers are five times more likely to be overweight or obese as adults. Compared to the rest of the world, the United States wins when it comes to child obesity as well. 29% of children in the U.S are obese, compared to the 14% of the rest of the world (Everyday Health 2014). It was also stated that the the most obese countries are in the developing world. Research found that this increase in weight is due to increased calorie consumption, decreases in exercise, and potential changes to the gut's microbiome. It is also related that there is the most technology and growth in technology in countries like the United States, China, and India where obesity is the most prevalent. Technology is a growing problem linked to obesity, along with race, income, and gender.  The Lets Move! Initiative was launched by Michelle Obama in 2010. The goal of this campaign is to give parents are kids the tools they need in order to live happy and healthy lives. The initiative gives five pillars to help combat obesity. They are to create a healthy start for children, empower parents and caregivers, provide healthy food in schools, improve access to healthy and affordable foods, and increase physical activity. These five things will hopefully work together in order to combat childhood obesity. It helps with things like making sure there are healthy foods in public schools, and ensuring that families have access to healthy and affordable foods, and helping kids to be more physically active. Along with this initiative President Obama established the first task force dealing with childhood obesity. It developed and implemented a plan to try to put an ends to the childhood obesity problem in this generation. It hopes to reduce the childhood obesity rated to 5 percent by the year 2030 (Lets Move! 2015). 

There has not been much opposition when it comes to screen time relating to obesity in children. Almost every study done has concluded that there is a significant relationship between the two factors. Emily Oster an American economist has related the problem to economic class, rather than screen time. Oster states that "in the general population, kids who watch a lot of television  --  especially at young ages  --  tend to be poorer ... " (Oster 2015). She goes on to mention how kids who watch the most TV come from a lower socioeconomic background, tend to come from a minority group, and are more likely to have parents with less education. Her view point is that these factors lead to them not having access to proper foods, which in turn leads to obesity. This is a valid point coming from Oster, but is only one likely factor contributing to obesity. Not having access to nutritious foods does cause obesity, but spending a large amount of time in front of a screen is a very serious cause for childhood obesity. 

Technology has increased over the years, which has in turn caused a decrease in the amount of physical activity kids are getting. Along with technology there has also been a huge increase in social media since the creation of Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Kids are now getting social media accounts as young as ten and twelve years old. The biggest contributing factors to childhood obesity are video games, TV shows, and social media. Today a typical American home on average has more TV's than people. Small things have also changed from thirty years ago which has led to an increase in obesity rates. Along with a ride in technology, people are less physically active in general. It was not uncommon years ago for kids to walk to and from school during the day, while now this is unheard of. Doing less physical activity leads to a decrease in metabolism, which then leads to obesity. Since technology has increased there is less time for kids to go outside and play. Going to the park or hanging out with friends in the front yard has been taken over by watching Netflix or playing call of duty. When TV time is reduced, improvements are made to BMI, and other obesity-related measures (Harvard School of Public Health). 

Numerous studies have been done which show a link between "sit time", and obesity. Kelly Laurson conducted a study which found that kids who either did not get enough sleep during the night, sat in front of a screen for more than the recommended time, or did not get engage in enough physical activity were eight times more likely to be obese (Laurson 2014). All of the studies which have been done have a common denominator. The more time that kids are spending in front of a screen, the less time they have to go outside and be active. This comes from the culture that we now live in, as well as the convenience that technology has in our lives today. It is much easier for a parent to sit their kid down in front of a TV or give them an ipad instead of taking them to a park, or to a pickup soccer game. Not only are kids getting less physical activity by watching TV, the content of the TV is also leading to obesity. There is a great deal of branding which goes on in popular movies and TV shows. These brands represent fast food restaurants, and foods that are high in fat and calories while being low in nutrients. Unhealthy food, beverage, and food establishment brands are showed in TV shows that kids today are watching. Being exposed to these types of advertisements is leading kids towards these types of foods. This in turn leads to obesity because they are constantly looking at those foods which draws kids towards eating them (Sutherland 2010).

Childhood obesity is a major concern because it leads to obesity later in life. It is a known fact that kids who are obese are more likely to become, or stay, obese when they are older. There is a greater likelihood of someone being severely obese in adulthood if there is an onset of obesity before the age of eight. This is why it is so important to keep kids active, and away from junk food. Parents of adolescents have the control to prevent the rising rates of obesity in America. The first thing they can do is lower the amount of time their kids spend on phones, tablets, computers, and in front of TV's. Today it is so easy for parents to sit theirs kids down in front of a screen when they need free time. However, when kids are spending their time sitting instead of being outside it is reducing the amount of physical activity they are getting. It is also forming bad habits for later in life. Between the ages of seven and eleven kids are forming habits that will stick with them for the rest of their life. Sitting in front of a TV instead of going outside and playing is a habit that will form very quickly. 

There are many health problems associated with obesity in children, as well as adults. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type two diabetes are all problems that can occur when someone is obese or overweight. While these things may not occur during childhood, they can pop up later into someone's life if they are not careful with their eating and weight. On top of that, death is also a possible factor. Someone who is overweight is likely to die eight to ten years earlier than their health peers (PBS 2013). This can happen from any of the previous problems mentioned, or simply from someone's body not being able to handle the excess weight being put on it. There is also a financial impact that comes with obesity. In 2008 the United States spent $147 billion dollars on obesity related medical costs (CDC 2015). Medical costs for someone who was obese was $1,429 higher than someone of a normal weight. Cutting down on the amount of obese people in America would lower these costs associated with the problem. This would in turn save the country money, and these funds could be allocated to something such as education. Obesity not only affects the economy, but it also affects the armed forces. In 2007-2008, 5.7 million men and 16.5 million women who were eligible for military service could not enroll because they exceeded enlistment standards for weight and body fat. Obesity is making the pool of people who could serve our country much smaller than it needs to be. 

The amount of time kids are sleeping has also contributed to rising obesity rates. It has been found that kids between the ages of 9-10 and 15-16 years old who sleep for longer than the recommended time are more likely to b obese. This is because they spent more time sleeping than being physical active. This again leads a decrease in metabolism, and an increase in the likelihood of obesity. Meeting the criteria for physical activity, screen time, and sleep time will all lead to a healthy lifestyle. 

Childhood obesity is a serious problem and unfortunately is very common in the United States, and many countries around the world. As technology has been on the rise over the past years this problem has only continued to increase. This increase is putting the future of kids in this country for many health problems and overall unhealthy lives. This is a serious problem, but there are ways to prevent it. Parents play a huge role in kids lives when it comes to their physical activity. They have a say when it comes to the activities they are partaking in, and the way in which they are spending their time. They can also help my making exercise fun for their kids, instead of it being a negative. Exercising as a family instead of having a movie night can be a small yet effective task. Parents can also do small things like not buying kids TV's or game stations to put in their rooms. Having these things in their room will increase the amount of time they are spending on them, instead of being outside. They can also set a limit for how long kids can be watching TV, or surfing the web. Getting kids involved in sports and after school activities is a great way to keep them active. To make sure there are always after school activities we need to make sure that initiatives like the Lets Move! Campaign can continue to stay funded. This initiative is helping to give kids options to stay healthy in school. Having this program, and others like it will ensure that kids are getting the exercise and physical activity that they need. It will also give kids who come from lower economic background and who maybe cannot afford to be on sports team the opportunity to stay involved and active. As a country we need to be better about cutting down on screen time, and bumping up physical activity, it could be life or death for someone. 

