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by Marion Nestle
Jan
21
2010
Childhood obesity explained
I keep saying that you don’t need complicated theories to explain childhood obesity. Just read the newspapers! Yesterday’s New York Times carried two stories that fully account for kids’ caloric balance these days.
The first (front page) describes a Kaiser Family Foundation study that counted the number of hours kids spend online each day. The bottom line: “practically every waking minute.” Here’s the link to the actual study.
The second is a food section story documenting the astonishing rise in snacking among kids to the point where parents are harassed beyond belief about having to supply snacks for every activity. And you should see what goes on in schools. The bottom line: also practically every waking minute.
No wonder kids are gaining weight.
The question, of course, is what to do about it. Dealing with the snacks will be easier and that’s a great place to start, no?
Tomorrow: I will comment on the new study on salt, discussed in today’s paper.