Childhood Obesity Rates in Arizona are Among the Highest in the Nation: How Did We Get Here?

 I am a mother of four as you no by now. I spend quite a lot of time worrying about my children and their health. With all of the research I have done lately regarding proper diet and nutrition I have become more aware of predatory marketing that is directly aimed at children. Yes. I said it. It is absolutely predatory! It is incredible what a marketing company will call "healthy" in the name of making a buck. I started looking around at the store, at my kids high school, everywhere. What I noticed was not only are we becoming heavier and heavier as adults, our children are becoming obese. I couldnt help but head straight to my laptop and start looking for information on the subject of childhood obesity.I found no shortage of info on the subject, but one article I found in the Arizona Republic really caught my eye. The article is titled " Arizona cannot afford to ignore chilhood obesity". Christopher J. Wells an Arizona native ,and public health specialist wrote this article. Wells states in this article that Arizona's childhood obesity rate is climbing at a rate faster than any other in the nation. He further states that if we as a collective do not do something to reverse this trend we will see an " explosion of diabetes and heart disease-and the financial toll associated with them" I am concerned. Children should not be in the same sentence as heart disease and diabetes, especially if it is brought on by poor eating habits. Mr. Wells also addressed the predatory marketing I had noticed myself. He stated " Last year, Yale University's Rudd Center for food Policy and Obesity found that such companies spent roughly 2 billion dollars on product marketing - and unfortunately for us, it worked." Wells goes on to say that yale's research shows that are children are exposed to at least 4,500 television adds a year! No wonder all those kids are screaming in the grocery store wanting this and that. Parent's wanting to oblige their children are buying these processed, unhealthy, full of sugar food items and our children are paying the ultimate price with their health. Something has to be done. I have chosen to start at home. Packing my kids school lunches, planning more healthful meals with their tastes in mind. I have started getting out and walking the nearby park with my kids and my dogs, the exercise is good for all of us. The added benefit is that it gives us a chance to talk and spend time together outside the house, with no distractions.I intend to research this subject further and share all I learn with anyone that will listen. I fear for my children, our children.Something must be done or we may see the first generation of children that do not outlive their parents.