Why is Gen Z so obese?

[Anonymous]

Stats don't lie:








Gen Z are the fattest kids in US history, which is going to carry down through adulthood. By 2035, over 55% of US adults will be obese. Yes, we know food is a contributor, but what else is making Gen Z so obese? Do we need national fitness camp requirments? The country will not be able to sustain the costs associated with all the diseases that occur because of obesity.

[Anonymous]

Because they were raised on screens and are still sitting and on screens almost non stop? My teenager finds it practically impossible to get his friends to do anything but game. He skates, is in sports, has limited screens, etc but his friends are online almost all the time.

[Anonymous]

Because gentle parenting doesn't believe in teaching your kids healthy eating or restricting food in any way. Whereas most older generations were definitely told to "stop snacking before dinner" and "no, you can't have a 2nd dessert." Kids are never told to eat their vegetables.

I watch it a lot with my niece. She isn't forced (or even encouraged) to eat her healthy dinner, but then she's starving before bed and gets snacks and desserts instead. It's such an unhealthy cycle.

[Anonymous]

They were born into the body positivity movement where they were nearly praised for being fat and happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because they were raised on screens and are still sitting and on screens almost non stop? My teenager finds it practically impossible to get his friends to do anything but game. He skates, is in sports, has limited screens, etc but his friends are online almost all the time.

While lack of physical activity is some of it, the biggest contributor is the food they're eating. Can't outrun the fork.

[Anonymous]

A lot of lower income families are getting priced out of youth sports.

[Anonymous]

I think it's partially the food industry, partially the screens, partially that no kids play - they are in organized sports or sitting around on screens. So if you aren't an athletic, team sports oriented kid, there isn't much of a place for you to get activity. This is REALLY different than a generation or two ago. It also is a model that relies on parents who can afford sports registrations AND have the time to see it through which is a huge commitment.

[Anonymous]

I think it's due to antibiotics. It is well known that prophylactic antibiotics given to animals in feedlots that are packed close together experience less sickness and also are larger than animals that are not given prophylactic antibiotics. For farmers, this is a win win.

There may be other drugs in the environment as well but I think that is one significant driver. Factory farms. Conventional food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of lower income families are getting priced out of youth sports.

Shooting a ball into a hoop is free at the park. When we were kids, our parents would let us ride bikes wherever the hell we wanted. The only stipulation was that we had to be home for dinner. There were no cellphone either! We would ride for hours with friends, sometimes miles from the house. We built dirt trails for BMXing. We used to play street hockey for hours. We would play rando games of homerun derby, four square, or go to the community swimming pool. Nowadays, kids have vitamin D deficiency because they barely see the sun. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of lower income families are getting priced out of youth sports.

That's not stopping kids from playing outside or at parks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's partially the food industry, partially the screens, partially that no kids play - they are in organized sports or sitting around on screens. So if you aren't an athletic, team sports oriented kid, there isn't much of a place for you to get activity. This is REALLY different than a generation or two ago. It also is a model that relies on parents who can afford sports registrations AND have the time to see it through which is a huge commitment.

Paranoid parents who are scared of outdoors, other people, life in general, keep their kids at home on screens where they think they are safe and sound.

[Anonymous]

-You can see it here where people let their kids eat fruit for dinner because God forbid we make them eat something they don't want to eat. I believe its the Satler method where you serve family style and let them pick whatever they want. Then they're starving and eat a box of carbs for a snack later.
-sports are extremely expensive, I spend $200 a month per child and it's a huge chunk of our limited budget. ---kids have to be forced to play outside and many parents allow them to stay inside with screens.
Gen Z is much more Latino than prior generations and they have a different attitude about weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because they were raised on screens and are still sitting and on screens almost non stop? My teenager finds it practically impossible to get his friends to do anything but game. He skates, is in sports, has limited screens, etc but his friends are online almost all the time.

While lack of physical activity is some of it, the biggest contributor is the food they're eating. Can't outrun the fork.

Obviously it's the food, for the younger kids. As they get older, it becomes screens, but for younger kids, they are eating more/too much. Why?

[Anonymous]

Screens -- there are many more screens than people in each house
Our unhealthy food system pushing factory farmed meat and corn syrup everything
Workaholic culture that means a lot of people rely on convenience food and takeout
Commuter/car designed cities and neighborhoods so we drive everywhere instead of naturally getting stepsnin going throughout our day

It's cool, we'll just all take semiglutides

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's partially the food industry, partially the screens, partially that no kids play - they are in organized sports or sitting around on screens. So if you aren't an athletic, team sports oriented kid, there isn't much of a place for you to get activity. This is REALLY different than a generation or two ago. It also is a model that relies on parents who can afford sports registrations AND have the time to see it through which is a huge commitment.

Paranoid parents who are scared of outdoors, other people, life in general, keep their kids at home on screens where they think they are safe and sound.

This too. I am genuinely trying to get over my anxiety of letting my kid walk alone to the park. I'm not particularly scared of abduction -- I am afraid he will get smashed by a car