why so many hk kids overweight? (10 marks!!!!!)

Energy Balance
For most people, overweight and obesity are caused by not having energy balance. The energy takes IN and much higher than the energy gives OUT
Overweight and obesity happen over time when you take in more calories than you use.

Other Causes
Physical Inactivity
Many hk kids aren’t very physically active. There are many reasons for this. One reason is that many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work, schoolwork, and leisure activities. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity.

Other reasons for not being active include: relying on cars instead of walking to places, fewer physical demands at work or at home because modern technology and conveniences reduce the need to burn calories, and lack of physical education classes in schools for children.

People who are inactive are more likely to gain weight because they don’t burn up the calories that they take in from food and drinks. An inactive lifestyle also raises your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer, and other health problems.

Environment
Our environment doesn’t always help with healthy lifestyle habits; in fact, it encourages obesity. Some reasons include:

Lack of neighborhood sidewalks and safe places for recreation. Not having area parks, trails, sidewalks, and affordable gyms makes it hard for people to be physically active.
Work schedules. People often say that they don’t have time to be physically active given the long hours at work and the time spent commuting back and forth to work.

2008-08-19 21:50:15 補充：
Oversized food portions. HK are surrounded by huge food portions in restaurants, fast food places, supermarkets, and even home. Some of these meals and snacks can feed two or more people. Eating large portions means too much energy IN.

2008-08-19 21:50:27 補充：
Lack of access to healthy foods. Some people don’t live in neighborhoods that have supermarkets that sell healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Or if they do, these items are often too costly.