American Children Always Eating Say Researchers

Enough is enough!

A study done by researchers at the University of North Carolina has shown that eating habits in America have changed so much that children are often constantly eating and that over 1/4 of all the calories that American children eat come in the form of snacks.

The researchers Carmen Piernas and Barry Popkin examined clinical data of over 31,000 children between the ages of two and eighteen from a number of different government surveys. They said that it was becoming normal for children to have three snacks a day and that these snacks tended to be high in salt and sugar. They also noted the high consumption of calories from fizzy sugar laden drinks. Another observation obtained from their research was that the average child now consumed 113 calories extra calories daily compared to calorie intakes in 1977.

Another recent study has shown that obesity rates for children between the ages of ten and seventeen have risen from 14.8% in 2003 to 16.4% in 2007 and that they are continuing to rise. This study which was done by scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland noted that the percentage of children who were merely classified as overweight did not change.

The study also showed that childhood obesity is not just a physical health problem but also impacted significantly on their schooling. For example they saw that overweight and obese children were almost 1/3 more likely to have to repeat a year at school and almost 60 percent more likely than normal weight children to miss more than two weeks of school annually.

Both of these studies which were published by the journal Health Affairs will make interesting reading for Michelle Obama who has recently launched her initiatives to curb childhood obesity. The problem is now chronic and it is almost cruel to subject children to the sort of unhealthy influence from fast food, vending machines, sugary sweet drinks and constant advertising encouraging them to eat unhealthily.

Enough is enough! Legislation needs to be put into force and profits of food manufacturers need to take second place to the health of children not only in America but also in the United Kingdom which is only a few years behind with its own childhood obesity problem.