(CBS) American kids snack three times a day and chips, candy and other junk foods now account for more than 27 percent of children’s daily caloric intake, according to a new study released Tuesday.
The new research comes as childhood obesity is soaring in the U.S. with more than 12 million American children – roughly 17 percent – considered overweight.
The spike in snacking added 168 calories per day to kids’ diets between 1977 and 2006, according to Carmen Piernas and Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina reported.
"To put 168 extra calories per day in perspective: at 3,500 calories per pound, that translates to 17.5 extra pounds a year," says CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.
The research appears in Health Affairs Journal, which also cites a study showing the national prevalence of obesity among U.S. children ages 10-17 has grown from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007.
Study: Snacks Make Up 27% of Kids Calories – CBS News
I think it has to do with the invirorment that the young grow up in to-day , because of so many problems on the streets these days you cannot let your kids go out and play like we did when we were kids, there fore they get a lot less excerise and are stuck in the house after school while their parents are at work, with nothing to do but eat and play video games, however their parents could stop buy the junk food and make available more healthy snack with half the calories, although junk food is probably a lot cheaper to buy. I don’t think it is much fun being a kid to-day.
PS: any sports the kids want to do to-day also cost a lot of money to join a team and some parents just don’t have the extra cash, In my day the kids had free skating, baseball, basketball etc.
That’s a lot of extra pounds! Scary!
PS I love your lemons & butterfly main picture!
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