The easiest way to alleviate the obesity problem in general is to regulate the amount of television that we watch as a whole. Television and obesity starts from the bottom in the fact that children are some of the first affected by this both physically and emotionally. One of the most prevalent problems with too much television viewing for children is the fact that the foods being advertised are not healthy by any means for developing children. More than a quarter of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are considered to be obese and 25% of girls and 18% of boys between the ages of 12-17 are considered to be obese. Obesity in children has steadily risen in the past decades, but it has risen most significantly in the past thirty years in that the number of obese children between the ages of 6-17 has doubled. These statistics have given enough information to us allowing us to consider obesity to be an epidemic (Boyse). According to many studies obesity in children is not something that they are able to grow out of. 1 out of every 4 children that are obese by the age of 6 is shown to be obese as an adult. 3 out of every 4 children that are obese by the time they are 12 is shown to be obese as an adult. Some serious health problems that can come from childhood obesity are depression, poor self-esteem, bone and joint problems, liver problems, early puberty, childhood diabetes, and breathing problems. Not only is too much television a risk to a child’s health, it is also a risk to their psychological development. By the time that they have finished elementary school, the average child will have watched or heard of over 8,000 murders on television. Another shocking fact is that the average young person sees 200,000 acts of violence on television by the time they are 18; 40,000 of which are murders. Some physical problems that will carry on into adulthood are high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes (Boyse). One interesting fact is that more men are considered to be overweight than women, but more women are considered to be obese than men. The amount of obese adults is lowest between the age ranges 20-29 and adults over the age of 80. In both of these categories, the amount of obese adults is less than 20%. The age range where obesity is most prevalent is between the ages of 50-59. Studies have shown that women who watch more television tend to be at a higher risk than men who watch the same amount of television. Television commercials contribute to eating patterns, but the psychological effects of a television set are much more subtle and can have a much larger affect on people than they think. “Vivid television images can cause changes in human physiology and emotions, of which most viewers are unaware. Subsequent decision making may be influenced by such fallibilities,” (Redelmeier). The average American will watch about 4 hours of television per day which adds up to be about 2 months of straight television watching per year. This means that for every 6 years, one will watch approximately a full year of television and taking into consideration that television is a sedentary activity, no wonder there are over 44 million Americans affected by obesity.

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