Obesity Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions

I was in an airport over the weekend and the one thing I noticed above everything else, was how many overweight people there were.

It was almost like an epidemic and the biggest shock was how many obese kids there were. But, I have to say, it wasn’t very surprising when I saw these kids tucking into burgers, chips, milkshakes, chocolates and just about everything else that was bad for them. And, the parents were the ones buying the food and drink.

What is wrong with parents today that they let their kids get this way? They have to take responsibility and not blame advertising or the prevalance of junk food. It’s up to them to teach their kids about being healthy and getting enough exercise.

I have 6 grandchildren ranging in age from 16 years to 20 months, and not one of these kids is overweight. Their parents monitor what they eat and they also regulate their exercise. They have all the computer games like X-Box and Wii, but their time on the computer is strictly limited and they are encouraged to participate in outdoor activities.

When I was growing up we were more active as we didn’t have the luxury of computer games and we also didn’t have so much junk food available to us. Our parents were not as affluent as most people are these days, and couldn’t afford to buy junk food anyway. About once a month our treat was fish and chips, and we were happy because we didn’t know any better.

Just think of the medical costs in the years to come when dealing with obesity. It doesn’t just affect the obese person, it affects the whole of society and we’ll be the ones to pay for it in the future.

We have to start educating kids from an early age how to be fit and healthy so that future generations won’t end up facing the same health problems we have today.

Is Obesity Going To Take Over The World?

Why do really obese people go to the "all-you-can-eat" restaurants? Logic should tell them that it’s only going to add to the problem. The problem is that they’re passing their bad habits on to their children and their children’s children, so it becomes a merry-go-round. I’ve seen it in my own family with the children emulating what the parents eat and drink and consequently they’re all dangerously overweight. And they don’t care!

The cost to society in the future is going to be enormous as more and more adults and children will be afflicted by Diabetes and Heart Disease. And guess what? You and I as taxpayers will foot the bill!

"Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average. Which means you’ve met your New Year’s resolution."
Jay Leno
US comedian & television host (1950 - )

The above comment by Jay Leno may be funny, but it’s not funny when you walk around the streets and see so many overweight adults and kids.

I saw a story on TV last week of a 16 year old boy who was so fat they had to get a special horse lifter from a vet’s surgery to get him into hospital. His obesity had put so much pressure on his lungs that he could hardly breathe. He lived at home and his mother took no responsibility for him being in that condition. To me, that’s child abuse.

We need to get junk food out of the schools and off TV so that future generations might have a fighting chance of staying healthy.