Kids Expected to Get Fatter

Childhood obesity in the United States is expected to grow through 2014, according to a recent report “Kids Nutrition: New Perspectives and Opportunities” from Datamonitor. Among the issues fueling this trend are increasingly sedentary lifestyles, high consumption of ‘indulgent’ foods, and parents’ struggle to maintain a healthy diet for their kids.

The research by Datamonitor found that two out of every five children in the United States (40.7 percent) between the ages of 5 and 13 are currently obese or overweight. This number is expected to climb to 43.4 percent by 2014.

The 2008 National Poll on Children’s Health found 30 percent of parents with overweight or obese children do not set limits on television, video games or computer games for their offspring. Parents of overweight or obese children were also more likely to rate neighborhood safety and lack of opportunities for physical activity as top health concerns for kids. Parents cite concerns for their child’s safety and the fear of strangers when discouraging outdoor play. The United States has also become accustomed to traveling, even short distances, in their automobiles.

Children in the Americas are also eating confectionary snacks at an astonishing rate. Children between the ages of 5 and 13 in the Americas are consuming confectionary snacks at more than twice the rate of the overall population (per capita). Datamonitor said this places an impetus on sector players to provide candies with healthier ingredients and fewer calories to counter the obesity crisis amongst children.

Although, globally, parents with children ages 5 to 13 are more likely to make conscious decisions to eat healthier, parents often struggle to maintain a healthy diet for their kids. Other trends such as smaller family size, dual parental incomes, and the postponement of having children is giving families more disposable income which they use to satiate their child’s pestering for unhealthy food choices. Parents are also using material goods to compensate their children reduced family-time which often lead to poor purchasing decisions.