We often see new studies emerging with the latest research on the childhood obesity epidemic. See here for the latest.
For some it's a matter of kids being less active, both at school and at home. In a never-ending search to make our kids smarter and more productive (3K, really?) the core standards of curriculum for students K-12 help to develop the requirements which all students must meet to pass grade levels and tests. However, the sacrifice for more academic time is met through cutting the arts (visual, performance, technical) and reduced recess and physical education time. My Kindergarten and 1st grade children have gym class once per week and 2 recess times per day (one immediately after lunch, the other either mid-morning or mid-afternoon), which may be taken away to punish them for poor classroom behavior. Continuing on, the first thing many children will do after school is grab a snack and sit on the couch for several hours watching television before having to address homework (and maybe chores, this is also a declining trend for many kids at home).
For many families, this is an issue of access to healthy foods which precludes them from eating more nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods in place of cheaper, high-calorie and poor nutrient-quality items. Areas where residents live without reliable access to nutritious foods, known as food deserts, are predominantly in rural areas compared to food swamps of the urban locations, which are now the common replacement for markets with fresh produce and lean meats. These areas are flooded with cheap, fast convenience foods (mainly prepackaged, highly processed foods, fast food chain restaurants, and convenience stores with hot-n-ready items such as hotdogs or pizzas) which support this epidemic. For many children, these types of foods are the only affordable option and this interferes with a number of other concerns (listed in the No Kid Hungry economic study) as well as obesity.
The basic set of rules to follow for kids of any age can include providing fruits/vegetables as often as possible to meet the 5 recommended per day, Drink 4 glasses of water every day, getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night, watching less than 2 hours of screen time per day, and getting 1 hour of physical activity daily.
For some it's a matter of kids being less active, both at school and at home. In a never-ending search to make our kids smarter and more productive (3K, really?) the core standards of curriculum for students K-12 help to develop the requirements which all students must meet to pass grade levels and tests. However, the sacrifice for more academic time is met through cutting the arts (visual, performance, technical) and reduced recess and physical education time. My Kindergarten and 1st grade children have gym class once per week and 2 recess times per day (one immediately after lunch, the other either mid-morning or mid-afternoon), which may be taken away to punish them for poor classroom behavior. Continuing on, the first thing many children will do after school is grab a snack and sit on the couch for several hours watching television before having to address homework (and maybe chores, this is also a declining trend for many kids at home).
For many families, this is an issue of access to healthy foods which precludes them from eating more nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods in place of cheaper, high-calorie and poor nutrient-quality items. Areas where residents live without reliable access to nutritious foods, known as food deserts, are predominantly in rural areas compared to food swamps of the urban locations, which are now the common replacement for markets with fresh produce and lean meats. These areas are flooded with cheap, fast convenience foods (mainly prepackaged, highly processed foods, fast food chain restaurants, and convenience stores with hot-n-ready items such as hotdogs or pizzas) which support this epidemic. For many children, these types of foods are the only affordable option and this interferes with a number of other concerns (listed in the No Kid Hungry economic study) as well as obesity.
The basic set of rules to follow for kids of any age can include providing fruits/vegetables as often as possible to meet the 5 recommended per day, Drink 4 glasses of water every day, getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night, watching less than 2 hours of screen time per day, and getting 1 hour of physical activity daily.
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