The prevalence of childhood obesity in schools can be compared to an epidemic of a virulent disease on a global scale. Research statistics have shown that on average 15.5% of children aged between five to fifteen in school have body mass indexes reaching 30 or higher, far above the norm of 25 or below. In total, nearly 25 million children around the world can be considered overweight, obese or morbidly obese. In the U.S. and U.K. populations alone the sheer rate of childhood obesity has caused an upsurge in cases associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and other maladies associated with being overweight. The source of these problems is threefold namely: eating habits, the sedentary lifestyle of children in the modern era and the lack of proper education on the future problems associated obesity. I encountered this particular topic in various schools I have gone to over the years wherein I saw only a quarter of children who come to school actually opt to eat at the school’s cafeteria.
The remainder chooses to either bring their own lunches or have their lunches handed over the fence to them by their parents. Unfortunately, a vast majority of these lunches are composed of unhealthy fast food options which can cause serious health problems when consumed consistently over a long period of time. Lunches that are brought from off campus sources usually consist of various unhealthy food options such as burgers, fries, soft drinks and chips bought from the local Mc Donald’s or a variety of other establishments scattered around the surrounding neighborhood. For me this is a particularly interesting topic since childhood obesity, based on the various online articles I have read, is a growing epidemic which impacts not only the U.S. which is known for its obesity problems but other countries around the world as well.
I believe that the source of the problem is that in nearly every town, city and state groceries, shopping malls and fast food restaurants carry some form of junk food that is rapidly consumed by a voracious public that enjoys the taste and convenience of such products. Parents often take their children to such establishments due to their convenience and popularity despite the potential health risks. As a result, children get used to these types of foods early on and carry on their desire to eat such types of foods. This results in them consuming unhealthy and fattening foods on a daily basis resulting in cases of obesity. Due to the various issues related to obesity, a solution must be created in order to help prevent cases of childhood obesity in the future.
Response
The justification for the development of genetically modified food is based on the need to feed an ever growing population which the current methods of food production cannot sustain in the long run. As such, the need will arise to effectively and efficiently provide enough food for a continuously growing population. The use of genetically engineered food might be the only way to do so despite the apparent risks in eating products that may cause allergies or change the body’s genetic chemistry. It must also be noted that humanity is still in the beginning stages of the science of genetic engineering; as such, the potential results for genetically modifying certain types of food crops are still unknown. Given enough time and development, it may be possible to develop genetically modified crops with greater yields and possibly little danger.