The Center for Disease Control and The American Obesity Association, plans to impose new rules and regulations for dealing with childhood obesity.
The number of children who are overweight has increased dramatically over the past few decades because of several factors. Unhealthy eating habits among teens is also a significant factor. There are other factors too, like increased screen time, i.e sitting near the TV, video games and computers for endless hours and a decrease in physical activity.
There is also over-consumption of processed, high-calorie foods, including beverages with added sugar, cheeseburgers, chips, french fries, cookies, chocolates and ice cream. And portion sizes have also skyrocketed.
This is leading to obesity-related chronic diseases in children and adolescents such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, which are normally seen in adults.
So new regulations are being imposed, to deal with the situation by restricting schools and cafeterias to stop selling unhealthy foods through vending machines or any other way.
For example, in elementary schools, vending machines are available only after the last lunch period, and can only supply milk, soy milk or water. And no food fundraisers can take place during the school hours in elementary schools. Middle schools’ vending machines can only supply milk, soy milk, water or 100 percent juice with no added sweeteners.
But it is not just the government who needs to work to bring down obesity rates. Parents too need to advice children on healthy lifestyle habits such as physical activity and appropriate diet.
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I do agree that child obesity is a huge problem in our society today and that beverages high in calories and sugar are one of the major contributers to this epidemic. However, I am torn between my opinion on whether or not this is a problem that should be addressed in schools today. On one hand, kids do spend a good portion of their day at school and should have healthy options available to them at school. But, if we totally limit the beverage options to water and milk, at what point are we making the kids take some responsiblity for their own decisions. I do not feel that we should force these “healthy” beverages onto children at high schools where students are old enough to make choices on their own. These beverages need to be offered, but not the only options. At the elementray level I can see only providing these healthy options, because younger students are not aware of the effects their eating and drinking habits can have on them. They will drink what tastes good or appeals to their current interests. Thus, I guess I think that teachers in schools should concentrate on setting a good example for their students and at the elementary level this healthy behavior should be learned. However, once the students are old enough to make an educated choice, they need to have the opportunity to do so, they will not have people watching over them for their entire lives.