Fat America
America is getting fatter. In the 1970s only 10% of American teenagers were overweight, but today more that 30% have that problem. Here are some of the reasons why.
More that 50% of teenagers live in the suburbs. The suburbs are a long way from schools, shopping centres and friends' houses and that's why families usually spend at least 2 hours a day in their cars.
Another problem is that the average teenages spends 22 hours watching TV every week. And when they are not watching TV they are looking at their computers or smartphones. This makes them very inactive and it is not a surprise that only 12.2% of American teens actually exercise.
But perhaps the biggest reason why is fast food. People know that it is bad for them, but all the salt, fat and sugar make it taste good and that is why people eat it. Connected with fast food is the problem of supersizing which started in the 1960s. And sizes have gotten bigger since then. For example, today's small fries are the same size as large fries in the 1970s. This is one of the reasons why today teenagers eat 700 more calories a day than they need.
Many doctors think this could be the first generation that will die before their parents do. The Government is trying to fight this problem and it is opening health centres for children who are too fat. The question is: Is it too late?
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