October 21, 2016

Dear Future President:

In the last 30 years obesity has really started to take its toll on Americans. This also includes the youth who are seeing type 2 diabetes at a very young age. More and more children and adults are eating too much and are continuing to grow.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.” This statistic is unhealthy and will only continue grow. With social media growing more and more popular, adolescents will only become more and more familiar with fast food chains and other junk foods. So in the next 30 years where will the obesity rate be?

“While parents are ultimately responsible for their children's health, there are some obstacles parents cannot overcome alone—such as the relentless marketing of junk food to young consumers, the lack of fresh produce in some low-income communities and the lack of safe public spaces for children to play” (http://icof.infobaselearning.com/). This needs to change within communities, so we can start making positive influences by promoting an active lifestyle.

Many might say the government shouldn’t get involved because it’s not that big of a deal; however, obesity is a huge epidemic. Young adults and many teens are living with type 2 diabetes from unhealthy eating habits.

The best thing we can do is start to introduce fitness and living a healthier lifestyle to the youth. The school lunches need a change to be more healthy and the amount of time students are active throughout the day needs to increase. School is almost a second home to many students, so being in a classroom for 6 to 7 hours sitting everyday is not helping students get active. Being active at least 30 minutes a day can help people live healthier. If we can unite communities across the nation, we develop a change.

There is a problem within our country, and if we don’t make a change it’s only going to get worse as time moves on. The youth is the future of our country, so we need to make a change. I appreciate you taking your time to read this letter and hopefully you can take something away from it. 

Sincerely,

Brandon Gaddis