My name is Patrick Ona.
I am a dietetics graduate student
at Eastern Illinois University.
A current epidemic is childhood obesity.
There are 25 million American children that are currently
overweight and obese.
Th Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that
the percentage for US children and adolescent who
are overweight and obese have more than tripled since 1980.
Nearly one out of three school-aged children
in the United States are overweight or obese.
The cost of childhood obesity is on the rise,
$139 billion in indirect and direct cost.
Indirect cost include employer costs due to absenteeism,
disability and worker's compensation.
By 2030 costs could reach up to one trillion dollars.
There are numerous causes of childhood obesity, some of the
main ones include heredity, consumption of foods of lower
nutritional value, large portion sizes, little physical activity
and an overall unhealthy life-style.
A major factor in children's diets are competitive foods.
There are foods and beverages that are sold, served or given
to children in schools but are not apart of the national school
lunch program.
They can be purchased through school stores,
fundraising events, and vending machines.
The sales of competitive foods can generate a substantial
amount of revenue which schools use to support food service
operations and student activities such as field trips,
assemblies, special programs and athletic events.
A major source of competitive food's in schools
are vending machines.
A study shows that vending machines were available
to children in more that 1/4 of all elementary schools,
more than 8 out of 10 middle schools and virtually
all high schools.
The types of foods available in the vending machines are usually
high in fat and calories.
They are candy bars, soda, and unhealthy snacks.
A simple solution would be just to remove those unhealthy snacks
and put fruits and vegetables in, but that can only be seen
on the TV show, "The Office."
A new vending machine company called H.U.M.A.N has tried to
incorporate healthy snacks into vending machines.
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In conclusion, I've talked about childhood obesity and
it's prevalance in America and the role of competitive foods
in children's diet.
Thank you for watching.
