More people today are overweight than ever before. What are the primary causes of this? What measures can be taken to overcome this epidemic?

Our changing lifestyles have had a far-reaching effect on our health. Today, many young

children

are chronically overweight

as a result

. In

this

essay, I will outline some

causes

of childhood

obesity

and suggest ways the problem can be addressed. While

obesity

has several

causes

, poor diets and insufficient exercise appear to be key drivers of

this

serious disease. A move to a convenience food diet both in schools and at home has resulted in many youngsters eating mostly nutrient-low foods, which are high in sugars and fats and low in fibre. Our bodies are unable to process these foods efficiently so fat accumulates until our body mass index is high enough for us to be diagnosed as obese. Exercise is well known to assist the body in getting rid of fat but the reality today for many

children

is that they take almost none. Spending more time sitting at school or on devices, and being driven everywhere in cars, it is difficult for many

children

to avoid becoming overweight.

This

combination of a sedentary lifestyle and a junk food diet is, indeed, a dangerous one. Challenging though

this

problem of childhood

obesity

is, there is much that can be done to manage it. Addressing the two

causes

which I outlined above would be good but the matter may not be so simply overcome. Because the

causes

of

this

disease are deeply rooted and complex it would seem that a broad educational strategy could work well.

This

would involve government funding programs, in schools and in communities, which are designed to help young people and their parents to understand the

causes

of

obesity

and

then

to assist them to make whatever changes are needed to deal with these.

In addition

, governments would need to address the so-called food deserts found in many urban areas within which healthy nutritious meal is hard to obtain, the majority of outlets being fast-food restaurants and 7/11s. If parents struggle to buy a good meal, education is unlikely to have a long term impact on the health of their offspring. To conclude, there is no doubt that it is crucial to deal with

obesity

among young people. As it is often caused by poor diet and insufficient exercise, educating

children

and their parents about the importance of both, as well as ensuring healthy meal is available to all, will go a long way towards solving

this

problem.