Which holds the most responsibility for the rise in childhood obesity, parents, marketing or the schools?

Answer 1

a combo of all 3 of course.also,the invention of computers and computer games,encouraging sedentary rather than active play,also the violence in society which makes parents breathe easier when kids are safely playing in the house,not roaming the neighborhood.decrease in play areas-the fields my friends and i played in,climbed trees ,ran around-are all strip malls and car parks now.most new neighborhoods dont even have sidewalks anymore-no one wants their kids to play in the road.ultimately,its what the parents buy and eat,if i had to choose one.too many people i know feed their BABIES nasty mcfries,setting them up good and early for a lifetime of arterial plaque build-up.i try to feed my family right,but its hellish to try to avoid the all-pervasive addition of "high-fructose corn syrup>"that craps in EVERYTHING!!!!studies show that in 2 groups of mice,fed an identical diet,if one group drinks just water,and one group drinks water with hi-fructose syrup,the hi-fructose syrup mice all became morbidly obese!it is metabolised differently from sugar,and encourages the body to store fat.so,this additive is a factor,in my opinion.

Answer 2

Parents have the most responsibility. Schools do need to stop allowing soda and candy though. I never had that stuff in school when I was a kid except maybe an end of the year party and I wasn't fat as a kid even with having all the rest of my family obese. I don't think marketing for most fattening stuff is really bad. Parents don't have to listen to it and many go beyond what even the seller would suggest. Hot Pockets aren't advertised as an everyday after school treat and McDonald's doesn't say you should have 4 Big Macs a week.

Answer 3

I think that all 3 of them play a part. Parents, though, should at least teach their kids why it's important. My parents are very involved in the natural health field, so I can definitely say that parents play a huge roll. I've been taught exactly why it's important, and how to stay fit and I've never created any sort of imbalance. I think it should be taught throughout schools as well, and more in-depth. As for marketing, I would have to say once again that parents should teach kids to excersize, and not sit around all day with a bag of chips watching TV. Some people just need to wake up, that's all.

Answer 4

Easy. The parents.

It is the parents responsibility to provide a child with the tools that child needs to remain healthy. That means that the parent needs to educate themselves about diet and excercise, make sure that the child has the necessary food and access to excercise, and act as an example to healthy living.

Ever take an informal survey of what people put in their shopping carts at the grocery store? Interesting how so many obese people buy crappy food, (sugary items, pop, greasy crap like potato chips), and hardly any good items like vegetables, lean meats, rice...etc.

Children are conditioned at home, not in schools.

While there are many commercials on TV for crappy food, there is also a lot of media attention given to healthy lifestyle. It's up to the parent to investigate healthy life practices and incorporate them for their child's benefit.

Unfortunately, just because certain people have kids does not mean they are qualified to raise kids. Sitting on your a$$ all day watching TV & eating crap, is not providing a child with life skills and a healthy example.

But hey, if it is easier for such folks to blame other people, so be it. God forbid anyone takes responsibility for their own actions these days.

Answer 5

Marketing makes your child want unhealthy things. Schools feed more fat and carbs than anyone should have everyday. But a parent can say no to advertised goods. A parent can make the child a lunch to bring to school and a parent can make sure the child plays outside actively instead of vegging out. Therefore the parent is ultimately responsible.

Answer 6

all 3

Answer 7

The parents of course..Plus their ignorance on what foods to feed their children. I believe schools come in second..I work in the school system and their lunches are awful. It's all about getting away with as much as they can without going against the food pyramid.It comes down to the ol'mighty dollar with schools.As for marketing they have no responsibility in it...They are there to sell there product and if your stupid enough to buy it then marketing did their job.

Answer 8

The healthiest approach comes when we stop placing comparative values on things. Let God do the judging.

This type of mentality only funds more government programs.

If we know parents, marketing and schools are to blame, what is the value of blaming one over the other? You have stopped looking at the problem and are now quibbling over the environment. It is arguing for merit's sake.

There are many causes to this problem, but the only advantage to be gained is to ask "What can we do?"

Answer 9

in order

1. Parents - structure, environment, etc...
2. school- this is where kids spend most of their time and healthy choices should be made available, but not forced.
3. marketing- psycological bombardment and brainwashing occurs after repeated viewing.
4. obesity- bad genetics, luck etc...

I think their are good reasons that you may have omitted, primarily
the person or individual.

Answer 10

all 3,
i think it is that parents don't watch what there children eat, the media advertises food so that it looks magical, and schools because they are not healthy. At HPHS a soda is free with a pizzahut pizza, but is 1.00 w/o the pizza. A water costs 50cents with the same pizza. Many schools have dessert lines or don't even give the kids oppurtunity to eat healthy. there are many fat munchkins running around.