The Impact of fast food on the growth of obesity among children

Abul khayer(2013010000450), Assaduzzaman (2013010000431), Rumaiya Islam(2013010000427),

Fahad Islam(2013010000324), Johirul Islam (2013010000211)
Introduction
Childhood obesity is a major threat to childrens health in whole
over the world. According to WHO (World Health Organization)
report 42 million children were overweight. If current trends
continue, 72 million children will obese by 2025(Commission on
Ending Childhood Obesity, 2016) .Many children are grown up
today in an obesogenic environment that encourages weight gain
and obesity. Imbalances of energy due to changes in food type,
availability, affordability and marketing and also a decline in
physical activity with more time being spent on screen-based and
leisure activities. Obesity brings many disease with it such as,
hypertension, diabetes, liver and gallbladder disease, heart disease,
stroke and cancer. Studies show that more than 80 percent diabetes
cases are caused by obesity.
Now, many countries face the burden of malnutrition in all its forms,
with rising rates of childhood obesity and also high rates of child
under nutrition and stunting. Childhood obesity is often under
recognized as a public health issue in these settings, where culturally
an overweight child is often considered to be healthy. Even in
Bangladesh many people consider an overweight child as healthy
but unfortunately they are not. Solving this obesity issue, we need to
promote healthy foods, promote physical exercise, health nutrition
and physical activity for school age children; we know more about it
at the recommendation of the report.
Fast Food impact on children is really harmful and making them
obese. Marketers and fast food retailers also need to aware to meet
this challenge. They also have to contribute to meet the obesity
challenge to make the society healthier. They also must ensure
healthy foods in their retailer shop to make healthy and obese free
society. However, Fast food plays a vital role in developing obesity
among the children from the very beginning age. Fast food should
be contained with healthier food in order to eradicate obesity.

Objectives
The main objective of this report is to know whether
parents are concerned about their childrens obesity and
whether Fast-food impact on childrens obesity. There are
some several objectives too:
Parents really purchase food what their kids want to eat?
How concerned are parents about the amount of "screen"
time (eg. playing video/computer games, TV, Internet) your
children are exposed to?
How advertising plays a major role to attract children
towards fast food?
Why kids dont want to eat nutritious food?
How can fast food also be healthier food?
What should parents and school do to reduce obesity?
Fast food is really plays a great impact on children
obesity?
Are physical activities can help to prevent obesity?

Purpose
The study of Impact of fast food on the growth of obesity among
children purposes are as follows:
Childhood obesity is a crucial and burning issue of todays
world. The main purpose of our study is why it is important for a
marketer to know about this fact. Without knowing this fact it is
quite impossible to sustain in food market for long term.
The study of this report also focuses on parents and their
concerning about their childrens health
Purpose of this study is also to know about fast food retailers and
their advertisement to attract children to them
The study purpose is also help you to know is screen time (e.g.
playing video games/watching TV) is a reason for childhood
obesity

Results
While analysing data of retailers most of them are
answered same of several issue. They are : concerned
about obesity, advertisement that attract children,
availability of specific food for children , availability of
specific place for children and fast food whether healthy
for children.

Method
There were two options that either we would have to
pick performing casual research through the design
of an experiment as a part of it administering a
survey/ questionnaire or perform a cross- sectional
study through the administration of survey/
questionnaire to a sample of respondents.
In this section, we have determined that option two that
was performing cross- sectional study through the
administration of survey/ questionnaire to a sample
of respondents because this study that involves the
analysis of data collected from population or a
representative subset at one specific in time where
option one is informal type of investigation into an
issue.
We have chosen three fast food samples and thirty
parents from the entire population of fast food chains
and those are Sharma Hut, The Manhattan Fish
Market and Helvetia which are most preferable to the
children as well as to the parents who are bringing
their children regularly. We have selected those fast
foods because those fast foods chains are held at
Banani, Dhaka. As we know that most of the affluent
people are living in this type of area like Gulshan
and Banani then there are more chances to go to fast
foods chains in these areas childrens and we also
know that children who are belonging in a poor
family and staying in slum then they do not have fast
food very frequently.
That is why we have picked this certain place and those
fast food chains what we have mentioned above.

Retailers are 34% agree to the above statements, 33% are

neutral and rest of the 33% are agree with the statements.
Which shows that they are concerned about providing
healthy food to children, many restaurants have specific
foods for the children and many of them also have
specific places for children where they can play and
spend their time happily.

Findings
Childhood obesity increases mortality rate of children and also
increases unhealthy population in society because todays
children will become tomorrows adult and then become obese
old-aged people. Our findings in this report are:
Some fast food retailers use a special type of paper to check
the purity of oil and also they purify oil then cooked for the
meal. But, many fast food retailers reuse oil several times
which provides unhealthy and oily food that makes children
and even adults obese.
Many parents didnt allow their child to play in the field or
afraid that children might be getting hurt. On the contrary
childrens spent their most of the time in watching television or
playing video games.
Recommendation
Ending childhood obesity there should some programs be
implemented. Implement comprehensive program that promote
to intake healthy foods and reduce intake of unhealthy and
sugar-sweetened beverages by children and adolescence. I also
recommend implementing comprehensive program that
promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviors in
children and adolescents. Integrate and strengthen guidance for
preventing non communicable disease with guidance to reduce
the risk of child hood obesity. Also, providing guidance on
healthy diet, sleep and physical activity in early childhood to
ensure childrens growth appropriately and develop healthy
habits. Implement comprehensive program that promote
healthy school environment, literacy and physical activity
among school-aged children and adolescents.
.

Conclusion

While analysing data of parents 80% are concerned

about their childrens health and 8% are not really
concerned but surprisingly 12% parents said that they
are not at all concerned about the obesity. Parents also
said that they will be pleased , if school starts
comprehensive program of physical activity. Some
parents also said that they are bound to purchase fast
food because their childrens find fast food more tasty
then other nutritious food.

At last, we say that we cannot allow for this trend in

obesity to continue and actions need to be taken by experts
to stop the causes for weight gain in children. This effort
needs to be coordinated among all stakeholders of the
society. As it is a matter of a whole society, everyone living
in society is responsible to stop the increasing rate of
obesity among children. In general, the children need to
start eating healthier and becoming physically active on a
regular basis. The media, marketers, parents and schools
need to play their role through promotion of physical
activity and healthy eating, and not have fast food and
video games as readily available to the children.
Recreation and leisure can play a great role in childhood
obesity both as the cause and the solution. Therefore time
management of childrens recreational experiences needs to
be monitored so that their time is spent engaging in
beneficial activities such as exercise or playing in the
outdoors rather than watching television or having fast
food. .