Original Content- Business Upside
Childhood obesity in America has become a national epidemic. For 2019-2020, the children obesity rates in America were quite alarming. While an average of 16.2% of youths aged 10-17 years were obese, the figures were quite disparate by ethnicity and race. Most affected children were the Non-Hispanic black youths in the age group, constituting 23.8% of the obese children population. Next were the Hispanic youths, constituting 21.4% of the obese children. The least obese were non-Hispanic white youths (12.1%). The figure was triple that in the 1970s.
Causes of High Children Obesity Rates in America
The causes of obesity in children are biological, behavioral, social, and government policies.
Biological factors like genetics and metabolism are responsible for child obesity. Metabolism is how the body converts food into energy for its use. Physical activity, eating, and sleeping habits are behavioral factors of obesity. The social factors include the design and safety of the community and neighborhood and adverse events encountered during childhood. Food security and structural racism are among the government policies and practices responsible for turning children obese.
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