By Mark Barone
A group of studies were reported in this week’s supplemental issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. The journal compiled a number of studies that showed the different pressures that cause children and teenagers eat the wrong foods, and may be the reason for obesity epidemic.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that there were several factors that influence children into eating unhealthy food choices. One discovery is that most middle and high schools across the United States have contracts with the soft drink industry. The study reports 67 percent of the middle schools and 83 percent of the high schools will have soft drinks available for children to purchase. These kids have easy access to sugary drinks when they attend school. Why would the schools allow this? They do this for the extra income. The schools earn on average $6,000 per year or $6.48 per student at the high school level and $500 per year on average or 70 cents per child at the middle school level.
The researchers also point out that the schools make readily available, high-fat, high- sugar and salty foods through vending machines and snack carts. So children have easy access to unhealthy food choices, but often are lacking healthy choices.
There is also a decline in PE class as the children goes into the older grades. In 8th grade they average 172 minutes a week and by 12th grade they get only 89 minutes per week. The researchers point out that in the 12th grade only about a third of the students are even participating in a PE class at some time during the year.
Another problem the researchers report is that low income neighborhoods have a problem with more fast food restaurants and more convenience stores, but they lack on supermarkets to purchase healthier food choices. The neighborhoods that were better off had less fast foods restaurants and more grocery stores. The researchers say that the minority students get more television advertisement exposures to buy junk food according to studies.
Minorities are also hurt when they attend school for eating healthy. The researchers said that less fortunate schools did not offer as many healthy food choices. The researchers also said the minority schools had less extra curricular sports activities available for the children to participate.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago found a number of new pieces of evidence that is contributing to childhood obesity at an alarming rate. The nation research program is called Bridging the Gap and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. School policies, neighborhood demographics and advertising all are factors to the childhood obesity epidemic. These factors combined make it extremely difficult for children to avoid the obesity trap.
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