Fast food and obesity: risks to children and adolescents?

Abstract

In the modern world, fast food is becoming part of the food culture; herewith, children and teenagers are no exception. A fairly busy lifestyle and lack of time contribute to an increasingly frequent appeal to fast food outlets. Given the national health policies of many countries, including those aimed at keeping up and supporting healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents, the researchers are increasingly focusing on the dependence of obesity on the younger generation’s fascination with fast food. In the proposed review, the authors have analyzed the published data represented in the studies at various levels and regarding a few problems. They are: the establishment of the relationship between a systematic intake of fast food and obesity among children and adolescents; the influence of the distance of fast food outlets from educational institutions on the occurrence and development of metabolic pathologies. Taking into consideration the relationship between fast food consumption by children and adolescents, parents and schools should strictly control their intake of unhealthy foods that leads to the weight gain and obesity-related diseases. Stopping marketing of junk food targeted at kids with eye-catching advertising personalities and gifts, could be one of the ways of childhood’s nutrition revitalizing.