A lot of adolescents nowadays don’t pay attention enough to their health. Part of that problem could be that they are not warned enough about the consequences of bad nutrition and not being active enough. The percentage of obesity in teens and children has dramatically increased since 1980. A solution to these problems could be to talk more in depth about health in P.E classes, which are not very diversified. We could raise awareness by adding mandatory nutrition classes, which is a subject that is not talked about at all in schools, and also putting the responsibility on the parents.

ADD AWARENESS

By spreading awareness about nutrition in schools, we could teach kids and teenagers that a healthy diet is extremely important, since a lot of parents neglect the importance of teaching such things to their kids, who end up obese. Since 35% of America is already obese, I think it wouldn’t hurt to add mandatory nutrition classes in addition of P.E classes. Another problem could be that P.E classes are not diversified enough. It is true that we only play basic sports like basketball and soccer, and clearly the majority of teenagers don’t participate very actively. By adding more options, we could help children and teens to do whatever sport they like the most, in addition of learning more about the very important subject that is nutrition and teaching them how to make responsible choices. Schools should also serve healthier food in cafeterias. Those solutions would probably help prevent obesity.

PARENTS RESPONSABILITY

To prevent obesity not only the school will have to make efforts, the parents will have to do their part. Most of the job will actually be for the parents that will have to teach and encorporate a good diet in their children’s life. Parents have to prepare their own homemade food so their children understand the importance of eating clean homemade food rather then fast food. It’s really important to stay hydrated but not by drinking sodas or juices which contain a lot of added sugar. Instead of buying those sugar added drinks, they should go for something simple, water; the best way to stay hydrated. Having a good diet is important but so is exercising regurlary. A perfect daily workout could be at least six hours a week, six days a week, but we do realise that not everyone has that much time. Three to four times a week would be perfect too. If you don’t have ideas, running could be a good idea or even getting your children into a sports club. Be a role model for your children by eating healthy and getting your physical activity scheduled, your kid will most likely copy you. Also reducing the hours your kids spends in front of the tv or computer and cellphone might help. Avoid using food as a punishement or as a reward. Encourage your kids to eat only when they’re hungry since most people tend to eat when they’re bored and it’s a really bad habit. Serving a lot of fruit and vegetables daily is a good thing to do to make sure they’re having all the nutriments they need. Choosing the right food for them is also a good thing to do, instead of buying highly processed foods made with refined white sugar, flour or satureted fat. Go for whole grains foods such as brown rice and whole wheat bread. To prevent obesity during childhood its studies have proven that babies that were breastfed until at least 6 months had 20 to 40 percent less chances of becoming overweight. For schools an hour of nutrition class per week with a nutritionist would be okay if the parents do there part.

In conclusion, to prevent obesity  schools should update their physical education classes by adding mandatory nutrition classes  which will diversify the classes. Parents will have to teach their kids how to eat clean and be physically active.