More children in developed countries are becoming overweight. This is a serious problem for wealthy countries. Discuss some causes and effects of this problem. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Children are the future of every country. It is imperative to provide all the facilities possible to ensure that their generation has all their needs met in every sphere of life.

However

, there is a developing trend of overweight children in developed countries. There are several causes for children becoming overweight. One of the reasons is the inheritance of bad genes from the parents. There are other broader causes like

weather

, the fast

food

industry and low income families. The effects of becoming obese and overweight are far reaching, The lead to a sedentary lifestyle with no interest

for

Suggestion

in

physical activities.

This

in turn leads to cardiovascular diseases later in life due to the accumulation of excess fat. Since they are limited in physical activities, it limits the types of jobs they can perform and they

instead

prefer sedentary roles. Research shows that overweight people generally die earlier than their healthier counterparts.

This

is a major problem because the workforce of a country will be diminished in several areas which require physical activity every day of the job. Let us address some of these aforementioned causes.

Firstly

, the

weather

plays a big role in the diet of a person. Most developed countries have cold climates – the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom to name a few. The cold

weather

makes people consume

food

richer in carbohydrates and fats, rather than protein and vitamins. Outdoor sports and exercise will be limited for children during the winter months, which generally

last

for 6-8 months in these countries. Carbohydrate-rich foods cause children to develop more fat since they do not burn the calories. It

also

helps them acclimate themselves better in colder environments.

Secondly and

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Secondly, and

perhaps the most culpable cause is the fast

food

industry. It has an extremely good lobby in the

government which

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government, which

grant them great tax incentives.

Consequently

,

this

allows them to sell their

food

items and sodas at rock-bottom prices. It is a known fact that fast

food

is not nutritious and are rich in carbohydrates and fats. The sodas have inordinate amounts of sugar. I have lived in a small town in Missouri in the United

States which

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States, which

is colder than most parts of the country. There are

atleast

Suggestion

at least

8 fast

food

restaurants offering

food

and drink for cheap prices.

For example

, a 32oz soda cup costs 79 cents and it comes with unlimited refills. Children naturally prefer sweet drinks and greasy foods. As I have travelled to 22 states in the United States, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Missouri children are more obese that the children I have seen in the other parts of the United States.

Thirdly

, many families may not be well-to-do and fall in the category of low income families. In order to provide meals for their children at all times of the day, they would tend to buy fast

food

rather than healthy meats and vegetables because of their cheap prices. Money management is a difficult task and they would prefer the cheapest options available. Michelle Obama tried to combat the problem of overweight children when she was the

First

Lady of the United States. She introduced a program where children were made to eat healthier and do more physical activities, so that they grew up healthier and would be great additions to the nation’s workforce.

Such

long-term thinking should be applied more in all the developed countries to ensure that children should grow up healthy. In conclusion, the problem of overweight children in developed countries is not an issue that will disappear anytime soon. There are several contributing factors like bad genes, the

weather

, a fast

food

industry with a lot of sway in the government and low income families. It is difficult to eradicate all these problems, but there have been initiatives like the one that was in place by Michelle Obama for 7 years in the United States.

However

,

such

initiatives need to be present for a longer period of time to ensure that children grow up healthy.