The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20% in the last ten years. Discuss the causes and effects of this disturbing trend.

Over the

last

ten years, western societies have seen close to a 20% rise in the number of

children

who are overweight.

This

essay will discuss some reasons why

this

has occurred and examine the consequences of

this

worrying trend. The main cause of

this

problem is poor diet. Over the

last

decade

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decade,

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there has been a prolific increase in the number of fast

food

restaurants. For example,onnearlyeveryhighstreetthereisaMacDonald’s,Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. The

food

in these places has been proven to be very unhealthy, and much of the advertising is targeted at

children

,

thus

ensuring that they constitute the bulk of the customers of these establishments.

However

, it is not only

due to

eating out, but

also

the type of diet many

children

have at home. A lot of

food

consumed is processed

food

, especially with regards to ready-made meals which are a quick and easy option for parents who are working hard. The effects of

this

have been and will continue to be very serious.

Firstly

, there has been a large increase in

health related

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health-related

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diseases

amongst

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among

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children

, especially diabetes.

This

debilitating illness means a child has to be injected with insulin for the rest of their life. Not only

this

, very overweight

children

often experience bullying from other

children

, which may affect their mental health. The negative stigma of being overweight may

also

affect self-esteem.

To sum up

, it is evident that there are several causes of obesity

amongst

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among

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children

,

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apply

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and a variety of negative effects. Society must ensure steps are taken to prevent

this

problem from deteriorating

further