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 recent decade, it has become more common for children to be obese, particularly in the western countries. There are various reasons for

this

phenomenon and

this

also

exert manifold negative effects on people’s health. One of the major reasons for the increasing rate of obese children is that they have a tendency to rely on fast food or pre-prepared meals.

Although

these foods are cheap to buy and very easy to prepare, they often contain a high amount of fat, salt and sugar. Overeating

such

unhealthy food would undoubtedly lead to the weight increasing.

Moreover

,

this

issue occurs

as a result

of children’s sedentary lifestyle.

For example

,

instead

of taking part in outdoor activities, they squander considerable time on watching television and playing video games at home.

On the other hand

, the impacts of overweight in children are severe.

Firstly

, children are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases

such

as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It is abnormal to catch these at a younger age.

Secondly

, children’s mental health is seriously affected.

For instance

, obese children experience being bullied and teased by other kids, which may result in depression and anxiety. These issues not only affect harmful in childhood, but

also

may persist into adulthood. In conclusion, it is evident that there are a variety of negative effects of obesity in children.

Thus

, various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that are certain to arise because of the unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle