One in three children will eat fast food today, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s an appalling statistic that helps to explain why the incidence of childhood obesity has doubled in the past 30 years.
The CDC’s Center for Health Statistics analyzed data from 2012 and found that, on any given day, 34.4 percent of American children consume fast food and 12 percent of them will get more than 40 percent of their total calories from such fare.
Fast-food chains have made substantial efforts to improve their offerings in recent years, adding grilled chicken and salads to their menus, switching from whole to fat-free milk, and offering fruit or yogurt with kids’ meals. But even the healthiest of food distributed in mass quantities at a chain restaurant does not offer the nutrients of a meal made with fresh ingredients at home. And a home-fixed meal is less expensive and more conducive to a family sitting down to eat together.
The CDC said fast-food consumption increases with age; teens eat more than young children. And obese children eat more fast food — 14.6 percent of their calories — than children of normal weight.
Parents succumb to the lure of the golden arches or a pizza box with good reason. In 60.2 percent of families with married parents and children under 18, both parents work full-time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the end of the workday, cooking for children — whose immature tastes can make menu planning a challenge — may seem like a second job.
The CDC report, however, warns that parents need to step up their game. Fast-food consumption among children has remained consistent over the past 20 years, despite increased interest in organic and “slow” food and healthful eating. This is a paradox that can be resolved only one way: Parents, drive by the drive-through.
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday.
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