This amount equals about 140 extra calories a day for girls and 230 extra calories a day for boys. If these calories are not used for growth or burned up doing activities, they can account for up to 15 unwanted pounds for girls and 24 pounds for boys over the course of a year. The study's authors theorized that because soft drinks don't satisfy hunger, children still eat full meals and fail to compensate for the extra calories and sugar contained in soft drinks. These extra calories turn into extra weight. The prevalence of obesity among children in the United States increased by 100 percent between 1980 and 1994.
Childhood obesity is caused by many factors.
We need to make inroads not only into controlling the quantity and quality of what our children eat, but also being much more aggressive with exercise. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the terms of use . A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Walgreen Co. All rights reserved.