September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. In the last forty years, the USA rates of obesity have been affecting the younger members of the population in a way that is nothing short of alarming. Obesity in children has been increasing in quadruples among children aged six to eleven. In the United States over twenty three million children and teenagers aged two to nineteen are overweight or obese. These statistics are classified as being in epidemic proportions, putting almost a third of American children at risk for diabetes type 2, stroke, heart disease and high blood pressure, which are health issues that are related usually with adult age individuals.

Nationwide

Due to the fact that obesity has affected the entire nation, it is not limited to just one state. For this reason no matter what state you live in across the nation, there are ways you can participate in for bringing awareness to your community about childhood obesity and what you can do about it.

Food Choices

There are a variety of causes for childhood obesity. Mainly, kids being inactive and yet eating too many empty calories that they don’t burn end up being overweight and eventually, obese. From one child to another, genes will determine the degree of weight gained.  Essentially, the lifestyle choices people make determine the level of their obesity. These days, food choices have a lot to do with level of health as well. Selecting vegetables and fruits rather than snacks full of sugar will go a long way towards attaining better health. Healthy food choices include various vegetables, salads, apples, celery sticks, bananas and carrots. Helping kids understand that better food choices during childhood will help guarantee that they grow into healthy adults.

Physical Activity

Increasing the level of physical activity that children do on a daily basis will be a contributing factor towards health. Finding activities for kids that involve their bodies and not just their brains will help ensure better health rather than obesity. For instance, instead of watching television or playing with their tablets or iPads, you might opt for finding other games that involve more physical activity such as playing with a dance mat or even enjoying nature outdoors.  Of course, genes do play a big part in determining kids’ obesity as well. Parents who are overweight with poor eating habits and an inactive lifestyle will tend to have children with similar habits. Making the decision to improve the lifestyle of the entire family will go a long way towards improving the health of the entire family and especially the children.

Bringing Awareness

The month of September brings more awareness of the obesity in children that have affected the entire nation. For this reason, doing what you can in order to help people become more aware of all the health dangers that come with being overweight.  Organizing seminars, fun runs or even handing out pamphlets about what people can do to protect the health of their children and improving total lifestyle will go a long way towards the overall health of the community in general.