During spring break, my niece and nephew stayed at my house. I thought it would be fun to have them around all week. I planned to go to the Manteca Street Fair, have a picnic in the nearby park, and go for bike rides along the bike path. I never thought it would be so difficult to carry out my plans. My nephew planted himself on the couch in front of the TV with the Play Station controller practically glued to his hands. He only got up from the couch to go to the bathroom or to eat; when I say "eat", I mean he gorged himself on snacks, sweets, processed and microwaveable foods, because he refused to eat the homemade meals I prepared, saying that they “didn’t taste good.” My nephew is just one of millions of children suffering from rising childhood obesity in the United States today. According to a June 2010 report from the Center for Disease Control, childhood obesity has increased by more than 300 percent over the past 30 years (see Obesity). What is causing this obscene increase? Possible factors contributing to this trend include changes in the food market, increases in single and/or dual-career parents, increases and diversity in technology use, and challenges economics that push schools to reduce their funding for lunches and extracurricular activities. activities. An underlying, but not so obvious, cause is the general safety of children in today's world. The biggest and most obvious cause is that the country's food market is geared more than ever towards children. As stated by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, approximately 80% of advertisements on children's television programs are related to fast food (Food). These advertisements use popular cartoon characters, trendy music, ...... middle of paper ...... y, and child safety all play a role. If our children continue on their current sedentary path, their lifespans will be significantly shorter than ours. Works Cited “Childhood Obesity Fact Sheets (PDF) – DASH/HealthyYouth.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Internet. April 24, 2011. “Food Marketing to Children.” www.cspinet.org. Internet. April 24, 2011. “Healthy Children.” www.cdc.org. Internet. April 24, 2011. “Childhood Obesity Trends.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Internet. April 25, 2011. “Unhealthy Marketing to Children.” www.eatbettermovemore.org. Internet. April 24. 2011. .