This year, for the first time in history, more people will die from overeating than starvation (Lee). Obesity is causing a wide range of health problems to our children that previously weren't seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels (Overweight in Children). If these rates do not stop increasing our children may not have much to look forward to. It is our duty to understand some of the leading causes of child obesity to be able to prevent it because prevention is always better than needing a cure.
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Mothers these days do not typically stay at home anymore, especially single moms, they now have extremely busy lives, most of which involve being away for a career. Due to the fact that mothers work out of the home, they have less time to plan low calorie, well balanced meals. They also have a lot less time to supervise their child's diet and exercise programs. Children usually tend to be less active and snack more when they are unsupervised. One convenience that mothers often over use is the popular fast food industry, like McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's. If they don't have time to make lunch, they just stop and pick up a convenient Happy Meal. Mothers don't even understand how bad fast food really is for their children. Research shows that there is a positive correlation between fast food consumption and body weight (Dunford). Maybe if fathers took a little more responsibility at home they could help when mothers are working to make sure the children are eating properly and getting enough exercise. In most cases unfortunately, mothers have to take pretty much all of the responsibilities for their children's diets, which is unfair.
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The availability of junk food has dramatically increased. Vending machines are everywhere you look. They are found in waiting rooms, malls and schools. Usually, the food found in vending machines is unhealthy and filled with high calories and a high fat content.