America's kids love those special "combo" meals that fast-food
restaurants create specifically for these young customers. Bagged or colorfully
boxed, the convenient, enjoyable meals often include a toy, something that can
make the meal even more delightful for a child.
Do these fast-food restaurants have combo meals that are healthy for
kids?
In some cases, yes. But healthy combo meals for youngsters are not
common. That's according to pediatrician and researcher Jason A. Mendoza, M.D.
"Parents may have to check the menu at more than just one restaurant to
find healthy choices," he says.
National Trends Suggest Need for
Study
The researchers' interest in conducting a science-based assessment was
spurred by two national trends: the increase in childhood obesity and the
increase in the number of meals eaten away from home. More than 16 percent of
children and adolescents in the United States are overweight. The 2005 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans describes this as a doubling of the estimated
incidence of overweight among children and a tripling of the rate among
adolescents in the past two decades.
Pediatricians and other healthcare professionals find the child-obesity
trend alarming because of its potential consequences later in life. For
example, overweight and obesity may lead to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, and certain kinds of cancer or even a higher risk of
premature death.
Just as obesity rates continue to trend upward, so has--in general--the
number of meals eaten away from home, growing from 20 percent in the late 1970s
to more than 30 percent today, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture food
surveys of Americans. In particular, 25 percent of U.S. 4- to 8-year-olds will,
on a typical day, eat fast food.
The fast-food study was published in a 2008 issue of the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
REFERENCIA:
Wood, M. (2008). KIDS,
FAST FOOD, & OBESITY. Obtenido de Academic Search Complete EBSCO Host:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=e2f76bc2-94fa-476c-b92c-a3c7f60e0f0c%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=44922298
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