Parental influence on childhood obesity

Are parents contributing to their children being overweight?

Children in Crisis: “Obesity”.

Did you know there are 41 million children in the world who are overweight or at the risk of obesity? Obesity is a pernicious and virulent disease. The leading cause of obesity is a deficiency in proper nutrition, intake of too many sugars, and the lack of exercise. Obesity is a curable disease, so it is a disease we can withstand and reduce. This disease can cause many misfortunes such as physical, and psychological outcomes, as well as death. At least 2.8 million adults die each year from this disease. In addition, 34 children die of it every hour. Dr. Claire McCarthy, who works for Harvard Health publishing and statistics, states that 57 % of today’s children will be obese in the future and if they are obese now, they are probably going to stay obese till the future, which may result in many disabilities and afflictions. Clearly, parents have a big influence on their children’s health, and they should warn and educate their children on staying healthy.

Children with two obese parents are 10 to 12 times more likely to be obese. Some people claim that obese children have nothing to do with their parents and that is completely wrong and here is why. If the parents have an unhealthy diet and tend to avoid healthy food, the children will likely do the same, which means that the parents have a big role and influence in their child’s diet and health. Besides, the parents are the ones who cook in the family so, the children are obligated to eat what their parents are eating. Parents are the main reason why their children are obese since the children’s eating habits come from their home. Obese parents are more likely to have sweets and many other unhealthy foods in their home, their children will most likely be influenced by the unhealthy foods which results the children to think that eating unhealthily is normal. The children will most likely become overweight and obese without knowing the consequences. According to a survey made by (SERMO), 69 percent of 2258 doctors who participated in this survey claim that parents are to blame for children’s health problems and obesity. Moreover, SERMO is an organization for physicians and doctors only, where they discuss human health problems. Many doctors have stated that many children are obese, and they have concluded and analyzed that the parents are the ones to blame for their children’s health condition. To sum up, the parents should take more responsibility to ensure that their children’s health is not in danger by watching their eating habits.