History of Childhood ObesityThe history of childhood obesity begins with the history of obesity in general. To understand obesity, we need to understand how our society got where it is now.More people than ever before are obese today, especially in industrialized countries. This is mainly due to the availability of food. Food has become very accessible and is relatively cheap. Another reason is that people rarely rely on walking as a source of transportation. As we’ve become more of a technological society, we’ve become more prone to sitting for long periods of time. In general, we have become lazy and consume more calories than necessary. Let’s take a deeper look at how we got to this point: In the early 1800's the steam engine train was developed and by the late 1800's railroads were spread across the United States. This allowed for the transportation of food as well as people. In 1902 trans fats were discovered and by 1911 the first trans fats were used in foods. Trans fats are unnatural, chemically altered fats that allow foods to have a longer shelf life. They have been proven to increase the risk of heart disease. In the late 1890’s the first motor car was invented and by the early 1900's people were driving their very own cars. People no longer had to rely on walking or horses for their transportation. Around the same time that cars started getting popular, self service grocery stores become more prevalent. So, people could drive their cars to the store and get all the food they needed. Less physical energy was required to get food and more food was available. As more and more people started driving, more roads and highways were created to make traveling easier. Food transportation became quicker and easier because it moved away from train transportation to trucks delivering the goods. Fast food drive-ins started becoming popular in the 1940's. Why cook dinner when you can just go pick up a cooked meal delivered by girls on roller skates? In the 1950's most people had televisions in their homes. People started getting their entertainment in front of the tube instead of going outside and being active. This is also when food advertising started to become more influential. In the 1960's the United States government started paying farmers to grow certain crops in order increase food production in the country. Corn made up nearly half of the crops the government was paying for. The average American consumes 98 pounds of corn (includes corn syrup) per year. This overload on corn has been linked with obesity and its related health issues. In the 70's and 80's technology became more prevalent. Many people had jobs that required sitting at a desk and looking at a computer screen all day. Microwaves were also created so little work was needed to prepare a meal, along with the fact that most pre-packaged and frozen meals are not healthy. In the 1990's video game consoles became more popular which gave children a reason to stay indoors instead of playing actively outside. Computers and the internet also became more popular and people had even less of a reason to find entertainment outside of their glowing computer screens. Today we rely so heavily on cars, television, computers, and cell phones that we don’t get up and be as active as we should be. Fast food restaurants, pre-packaged and processed foods, and microwaves have allowed us to consume more calories than we need. How does all of this relate to the history of childhood obesity? Well, childhood obesity is directly related to the history of obesity in general. The way society has moved forward technologically has really put a kink in the amount of physical activity we have time for and leads to our children inheriting those same demanding lifestyles. What does the future hold for us? We can learn from the history of childhood obesity by taking responsibility for ourselves and our families. It can be difficult to be physically active and watch what goes into our bodies, but it can be done. We can learn from the history of childhood obesity by learning about the benefits of physical activity and how to eat healthier. We have to set the stage for future generations and be good role models for our children. >>Go to the top of History of Childhood Obesity<< >>Go back to Childhood Obesity Facts<< >>Go back to the home page Childhood Obesity<< |
