Childhood Obesity :: Obesity in Children

As the saying goes, â€Å"You are what you eat†, is there initially someone to blame for that reason? Over the years as our nation grows, so does the appetite of many Americans. In recent studies, as obesity rates in the U.S. continue to rise, childhood obesity is among an ever-pressing concern for the public health. Children between the age of two and five have grown in obesity rate and adolescents aged twelve to nineteen have tripled in that rate. Obesity has not only grown over the span of fifteen years but has become an epidemic among young Americans. But who has to be at fault for the increase of weight in youth? There are many accusations of different people to put the blame but has anyone truly looked at the people selling these fast/junk food products. It is said that fast food industries spend millions of dollars in advertising which pretty much dominate what we watch and hear. So the cause of this epidemic of obesity is not always parents or the lack of good nutritio n/exercise but also the tricks and schemes advertising do to lure in consumers into buying their products but foremost targeting the younger crowd. Marketing campaigns for fast food are stronger and louder than ever now days. It is among one of the fastest growing strategies in advertising. For instance, the marketing of food in the mass media, particularly television has saturated children with advertisements touting all manner of fast food, cereal, and candy (Malvasi, 30). In some cases, parents are put to blame for their children’s obesity, but we seize to realize the financial situation a parent can be in. Many single parents bring in a low income and do not have the money to [prepare a healthy home cooked meal. They relay on dollar menus not just for their lack of parenting but they have to feed their children somehow and that may be their only option. Also, if parents bring in low income it is more likely that they work long shifts, or even work two jobs.