Why Has Obesity Become So Prevalent in Children and Adolescents?
Many factorsincluding genetics, poor diets, sedentary lifestyles and suburban sprawlhave been blamed for the rapid escalation in numbers of overweight children.6 While no single factor is responsible for the entire increase, each has contributed to an environment in which children participate in fewer physical activities and practice poor dietary habits. Lack of physical activity: Schools strapped for funding and seeking to maximize instructional time have eliminated or reduced many physical education and athletic programs in the past decade; only 8 percent of elementary schools and 6.4 percent of middle schools provide daily physical education during the school year.7 Todays children rarely ride bicycles or walk to school, often because schools are located on the periphery of the community or require crossing busy streets or navigating unsafe neighborhoods. Children ages 8 to 18 spend an average of 4.5 hours per day watching television and movies or playing video games. One study foun
