There is no debate concerning the current all-time levels of obesity within our country, however, the relationship of obesity with technology has two sides to the coin.
On one side of the spectrum you have those who identify technology as the sole perpetrator for the heightened levels of obesity over the past decade and claim that if we had not developed such a sweet tooth for screens, we would not have the conundrum on our hands that we do now. A recent article in the New York Times, the average kid between the ages of 8 and 18 spends over seven and a half hours a day utilizing a myriad of technological gizmos. Furthermore, the Kaiser Family Foundation discusses that these same kids are only obtaining thirty-eight minutes of old fashioned readings. These poor habits are extremely detrimental to the individuals’ outlook on life in the sense that they begin establishing a lazy mindset that will eventually lead to more obvious effect that we see in the obesity levels. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percent of children that are between the ages of 6 and 19 has tripled over the course of the past twenty years and that this is primarily due to electronic usage. Contrary to popular belief, kids are unable to effectively burn off necessary calories while sitting on their butts in front of the TV.
On the other side of the coin, there are those who firmly believe that technology is the singular thing that possesses the potential to turn this nation’s habits around and serve as the catalyst to minimize these levels of obesity. For example, some pieces of technology such as the 'Fitbit' have provided incredible opportunities for individuals who struggle to consistently exercise and serve as a gadget that people are intrigued by and desire to actually implement into their lives. Additionally, there are countless applications that can be downloaded onto various smartphones that are extremely helpful in keeping track of caloric intake, caloric expenditure, number of steps taken in a day, necessary exercise, etc. An interesting quote from a journal states the following, "While it was the technology of the 20th century that instigated the obesity epidemic, it will most certainly be the technology of the 21st century that solves it."
There is quite the captivating dichotomy between these two schools of thought and it will be even more interesting to see which side claims victory over the course of the next twenty or thirty years.
Josh T.
On one side of the spectrum you have those who identify technology as the sole perpetrator for the heightened levels of obesity over the past decade and claim that if we had not developed such a sweet tooth for screens, we would not have the conundrum on our hands that we do now. A recent article in the New York Times, the average kid between the ages of 8 and 18 spends over seven and a half hours a day utilizing a myriad of technological gizmos. Furthermore, the Kaiser Family Foundation discusses that these same kids are only obtaining thirty-eight minutes of old fashioned readings. These poor habits are extremely detrimental to the individuals’ outlook on life in the sense that they begin establishing a lazy mindset that will eventually lead to more obvious effect that we see in the obesity levels. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percent of children that are between the ages of 6 and 19 has tripled over the course of the past twenty years and that this is primarily due to electronic usage. Contrary to popular belief, kids are unable to effectively burn off necessary calories while sitting on their butts in front of the TV.
On the other side of the coin, there are those who firmly believe that technology is the singular thing that possesses the potential to turn this nation’s habits around and serve as the catalyst to minimize these levels of obesity. For example, some pieces of technology such as the 'Fitbit' have provided incredible opportunities for individuals who struggle to consistently exercise and serve as a gadget that people are intrigued by and desire to actually implement into their lives. Additionally, there are countless applications that can be downloaded onto various smartphones that are extremely helpful in keeping track of caloric intake, caloric expenditure, number of steps taken in a day, necessary exercise, etc. An interesting quote from a journal states the following, "While it was the technology of the 20th century that instigated the obesity epidemic, it will most certainly be the technology of the 21st century that solves it."
There is quite the captivating dichotomy between these two schools of thought and it will be even more interesting to see which side claims victory over the course of the next twenty or thirty years.
Josh T.
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