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ENG 122 WEEK 4

ENG 122 Week 4,

Addressing the issue of Childhood Obesity

The good old days, when there was no big screen or flat screen TV, we used to spend our time outside home. Telephone was a rarity; so people used to travel or spend time in neighborhood in their spare times. There were no computers, laptops, iPods or cell phones; so the major sources of entertainment were evening get together, park walks, bicycle rides and skating were our favorite activities. This era was the peak of childhood amusements like jacks, hide and seek and kick ball. Bicycle was the most preferred medium for almost everywhere I had to go. My times were pleasurably more inclined towards physical activities, and amusements were limited to physical outreach.

Today, children of new generations are surrounded by most technically equipped gadgets that have completely revolutionized the way they spend their childhood. Sitting at home, over the LCDs, they can play games that are truly addictive. Moreover, they can have access to almost everything they want to know. Cell phone is the biggest addiction of new generation. Computers and laptops have become a necessity rather than a luxury. Today’s child is technically more informed than our generation. But the cost this generation is bearing could be attributed to their physical appearances where glasses and obesity have become a common problem in America. Since computer games have obsessed the new generation, the trend of street games is essentially disappearing.

We cannot simply blame computer games for limiting the physical activity. There are other social aspects as well that are restricting children from physical enjoyment opportunities. Over last five to ten years, street crimes have doubled in America, and parents are certainly worried about the security position in the cities. They are afraid to let their children out alone, and our conscious about them even when they are at school. Consequently, parents have to equip their surroundings with sufficient gadgets that could keep them busy within the premises. This makes children from new generation spend most of their time watching TV, surfing internet, playing video games and chatting or texting with friends. Consequently, irregular eating patterns have developed, and now snacks and fast food are routine items for children today.

Till the twentieth century, the tradition of families sitting together and having meals altogether was considered a ritual. Normally the representative of a family earned bread for everyone, and women were accustomed to the nourishment of children and home related activities. Dinners were served once every evening and each member of the house was accustomed to accompany everyone. But since the obsession of computing and personalization has increased because of cell phones and internet, children prefer spending their times alone since a generation gap has been created because of difference in brought up environment. Therefore, they prefer eating alone in their bedroom, especially because their eating habits have been altered previously due to irregular consumption of snacks and other junk food (Kiefer, 2004). As a result, overweighting in schools is becoming a regular problem.

In high schools, it is becoming evident that people are quite dominantly involved