Junk Food, TV Driving Kids to Obesity

Studies find it's tougher than ever for youngsters to stay healthy.

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
Tuesday, September 25, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

TUEDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Lifestyles with too little movement, too much TV exposure and way too much junk food are pushing U.S. children toward a life of overweight and obesity, a collection of new studies finds.

The studies -- published in a special supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine -- show the myriad challenges youngsters face every day in trying to maintain a healthy weight. Today's kids live in a world where it's often easier to get a fast food meal than fresh fruit, where walking to school is the exception rather than the norm, and where they're bombarded by ads telling them to eat more junk food and sugary beverages.

"It's a minefield out there for kids," said registered dietitian Alexandra Salazar, a pediatric nutritionist at the Children's Hospital of Montefiore in New York City. "Schools have a big part to play, but kids often aren't offered the best choices at school or in the community. It's up to parents to lead by example."

Almost one in six American children and teens are overweight, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's office, which also warns that 70 percent of overweight teens will grow into overweight or obese adults. Overweight children are now increasingly at risk for type 2 diabetes, a disease formerly associated only with adults. Kids carrying extra pounds may also have a higher risk of developing low self-esteem or depression.

"Were now seeing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children," said Dr. Brenda Kohn, a pediatric endocrinologist at the New York University Medical Center. She noted that other disorders, such as high cholesterol, are also on the rise in heavier youngsters.

Highlights of the studies included in the special supplement include:

• Many schools offer easy access to junk food and beverages. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that 83 percent of high schools and 67 percent of middle schools now have contracts with a soft drink manufacturer. Revenues from such contracts are modest -- about $500 a year on average for middle schools and about $6,000 for high schools. The study found that Hispanic children were most likely to consume soft drinks.
• Fewer schools provide students with opportunities to increase their levels of physical activity. In another study from the University of Michigan, researchers found that while almost nine in 10 eighth-graders must participate in physical education, that number drops to just two in 10 by 12th grade. Participation rates were lower for black and Hispanic children, according to the study.
• Low-income, minority neighborhoods are more likely to have fast-food restaurants compared to high-income, predominantly white neighborhoods, according to researchers from the University of Illinois.
• One in four TV commercials seen by teens are food ads, according to another University of Illinois study. The most common ads were for fast-food, beverages and sweets. Black adolescents saw about 14 percent more food ads than did their white peers, according to the study.
• The availability of a large, chain supermarket was associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in teens. In contrast, high availability of convenience stores was associated with a higher BMI, according to a study done by researchers from both the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan.