It is the paradox of summertime: The very months blessed with the greatest opportunity for running and jumping and playing have instead become prime time for packing on pounds. Once the plight of adults, obesity has become alarmingly common among the young, with children under 10 even being prescribed cholesterol-lowering pills. And specialists who treat overweight children say that the summer months are emerging as a leading suspect in the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Blame it on too much time in front of screens - computers, TV, and handheld-devices - and too little routine. Without the constancy of school and, even, the bland predictability of school lunches, summer looms as three months of unending temptation, fueled by advertising promoting sugar-laden snacks.
"You would think the summer would be a time when kids are really active and running around," said Julie Vanier, coordinator of Boston Medical Center's FANtastic Kids, the fitness and nutrition program that teaches about the importance of a good diet and exercise. "For many kids, it's the opposite. They have a lot of down time in the summer that they're trying to fill."
Source: Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/08/12/in_summer_obesity_rules/
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