On the one hand, you make the point that children are not responsible enough to make decisions for themselves, and that they do not have the same rights and privileges that adults do.
Then you say McDonalds should remove the Hook? Kids have to convince their parents to take them to McDonalds. Their parents should have the child's best interest in mind. After all, it is not McDonald's job to raise your child.
The toy is meant to entice children. The parents get to make the rules. If the child eats too many happy meals, the blame lies with the person providing transportation to McDonalds, who then buys the food and allows the child to eat the junk and have the toy. Blame the parents for this particular issue. Not McDonalds.
You won't get an argument from me that parents bear the brunt of responsibility, but it's not that simple. Childhood obesity incurs a cost on all of us.
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Childhood Obesity Costs
Obesity Related Health Care Costs are Soaring
Americans spend about 9% of their total medical costs on obesity-related illnesses, [1] and that amount will only increase if the current trends continue.
High personal costs: Severely overweight people spend more on health care and medicine. In fact, they often spend more on health care than current smokers. [2]
Direct national cost: The direct costs of treating obesity-related diseases are estimated at $61 billion. [3]
Indirect national cost: The indirect costs of obesity (such as missed work days and future earnings losses) have been estimated at $56 billion dollars per year. [3]
Rising disability claims: Being severely overweight makes it much harder to manage basic activities like bathing, dressing and getting out of bed. The number of people filing for disability is rising rapidly, and the fastest growing cause of disability is type 2 diabetes. [4]
Economic Disparities
Childhood obesity is having a larger impact on children from low-income families.
Poor health care: Over 1.6 million children were unable to get needed medical care because the family could not afford it. Medical care for an additional 3 million children was delayed because of worry about the cost. [32]
Limited access: In part because they lack access to healthy food and sports facilities, children from lower incomes are more likely to be overweight or obese. [33]
Fewer opportunities to stay healthy: In a study of 200 neighborhoods, there were three times as many supermarkets in wealthy neighborhoods as in poor neighborhoods [34] leaving fast food restaurants as the most convenient meal option for many low income families.
Citations
1. Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IC, Wang G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: how much, and who’s paying? Health Affairs (Millwood). 2003; Suppl Web Exclusives; W3-219-W3-226. Available at: National Medical Spending Attributable To Overweight And Obesity: How Much, And Who's Paying? -- Finkelstein et al., 10.1377/hlthaff.w3.219 -- Health Affairs. Accessed October 26, 2007.
2. Obesity and Disability. Santa Monica, California: Rand Health; 2004.
3. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2008 Update, American Heart Association.
4. Obesity and Disability. Santa Monica, California: Rand Health; 2004.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital and Health Statistics. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 2004. Vol. 2006-1555. Hyattsville, Maryland: DHHS, 2005
6. Powell LM, Slater S, Chaloupka FJ. The Relationship between physical activity settings and race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Evidence-Based Preventive Medicine 2004; 1(2):135-44.
7. Morland K, Wing S, Diez Roux A, Poole C. neighborhood characteristic associated with the location of food stores and food service places. Am J Prev Med 2002;22 (1): 23-9
The Cost of Childhood Obesity - Newsweek
The Skyrocketing Cost of Obesity: It’s Everybody’s Business
Child Obesity – Astonishing Facts
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This has even become a national security issue
Most Americans not Fit to Join - Military.com
The Census Bureau estimates that the overall pool of people who would be in the military's prime target age has shrunk as American society ages. There were 1 million fewer 18- to 24-year olds in 2004 than in 2000, the agency says.
The pool shrinks to 13.6 million when only high school graduates and those who score in the upper half on a military service aptitude test are considered. The 30 percent who are high school dropouts are not the top choice of today's professional, all-volunteer and increasingly high-tech military force.
Other factors include:
-the rising rate of obesity; some 30 percent of U.S. adults are now considered obese.
-a decline in physical fitness; one-third of teenagers are now believed to be incapable of passing a treadmill test.
-a near-epidemic rise in the use of Ritalin and other stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Potential recruits are ineligible for military service if they have taken such a drug in the previous year.
Doctors prescribe these drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month, according to a federal survey. Many more are believed to be using such stimulants recreationally and to stay awake longer to boost academic and physical performance.
Other potential recruits are rejected because they have criminal histories and too many dependents. Subtract 4.4 million from the pool for these people and for the overweight.
Others can be rejected for medical problems, from blindness to asthma. The Army estimate has subtracted 2.6 million for this group.
That leaves 4.3 million fully qualified potential recruits and an estimated 2.3 million more who might qualify if given waivers on some of their problems.
