Childhood obesity is a serious problem in many countries. What are the causes of this and how can the problem be managed?

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 governments 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
food
is hard to obtain, the majority of
food
outlets being fast
food
restaurants and 7/11s. If parents struggle to buy good
food
, education is unlikely to have a
long term
Add a hyphen
long-term
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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
food
is available to all, will go a long way towards solving
this
problem
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Structure your answers in logical paragraphs

The easiest way to score well on the IELTS Task 2 writing portion is to structure your writing in a solid essay format.

A strong argument essay structure can be split up into 4 paragraphs, each containing 4 sentences (except the conclusion paragraph, which only contains 3 sentences).

Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Dietary habits
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Processed foods
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Nutritional education
  • Obesity epidemic
  • Preventative measures
  • Health policies
  • Urban planning
  • Caloric intake
  • Metabolic health
  • Screen time
  • Physical activity
  • Junk food
  • Food desert
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • Portion control
  • Mindful eating
  • Lifestyle diseases
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