Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America.
Medical professionals have designated obesity as a disease in itself.
There are different categories of factors that contribute to childhood obesity.
Some are related to societal changes, others are related to our individual lifestyles and still others are directly related to food products.
It is important that we educate ourselves regarding these factors and take responsibility for the health of our children.
While some parents are directly negligent, it is far more common that well-intentioned parents simply do not understand risk factors and contributing causes and do not realize that childhood obesity is largely preventable.
Lifestyle cannot be overlooked in its contribution to childhood obesity.
Society has placed more of a value on indoor hobbies than outdoor activities, and sedentary occupations are beginning to replace active options.
Schools are placing less of an importance on physical exercise in favor of what they believe to be educational alternatives.
Very often, children do not get enough exercise.
Our fast paced and busy lifestyles have taken some of the control out of our hands as parents, and it is important that we get it back.
If the school does not offer enough recess or physical activity, there is rarely time for children to go outside and exercise once they get home, or at least the parents do not recognize this need.
Our lifestyles have also caused us to gravitate toward convenient food options rather than those that are healthy.
We have become accustomed to feeding processed foods and not paying attention to the ingredients.
The truth is, manufacturers are loading these processed foods full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners that are contributing to childhood obesity.
Most processed foods contain much larger amounts of sugars and fats than we would ever consciously allow ourselves or our children to consume.
Children value their parents' examples, so it is important to be a healthy role model for your children.
With the busy schedules most of us carry today, families rarely place as much importance on healthy meals as they once did.
Children spend less and less time at their own homes during meal time, due to everyone in the family participating in different activities.
When children are away from home, we lose control over what they eat.
In fact, much of the food the average school-aged child consumes is not eaten at home.
We may set guidelines at home for our children's eating habits, but when they eat with their peers at school they are introduced to all kinds of foods and develop curiosity.
When our children eat dinner with other families, we cannot control what they are fed.
For this reason, it is extremely important that we instill good eating habits in our children early on and explain the importance of healthy eating.
Many of us neglect this responsibility, and our children are essentially thrown to the wolves to formulate their own opinions about food choices.
As parents, we take responsibility for taking our children for vaccinations and regular check-ups, yet many of us entirely forget to teach our children how to make healthy choices when it comes to food.
Although it is true that today's food choices have contributed to the problem, we have the collective ability to end childhood obesity by including it as part of our parenting plan.