14 Active Dates For Valentine's Day
Benjamin Committed To A Gym Routine And Lost 245 Pounds
Corner Stores Are Making Kids Fat
Posted on Oct 15th 2009 12:00PM by Deborah Dunham
Photo: Greencolander, Flickr
Visiting the local corner store brings back childhood memories for many people -- a soda after school with friends, gum while en route to the high school football game or cookies with teammates after an extra-long practice. Even Charlie from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is remembered for visiting his local corner store in search of a Wonka Bar with one of the Golden Tickets.
What was once an occasional treat for school-age kids is now a daily trend that could be contributing to childhood obesity, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics. In this study, more than 800 urban children in Philadelphia were surveyed about their buying habits at local corner stores. What was discovered was not only the number of times the young fourth- to sixth-graders frequented the store, but the amount of food purchased with very little money.
More than half of these inner-city children reported shopping at the corner store every day before or after school. With an average purchase of just $1.07, they were able to afford an eight-ounce drink, a single serving bag of chips, an assortment of candy or gum and a Popsicle. That amounts to more than 350 calories per visit with items high in calories, fat and/or sugar, and low in nutrients.
Daily snacks like these can have devastating effects on a child's weight -- not to mention their energy levels, school performance and overall health. In a country where one-third of our children are overweight, those numbers are even higher in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, where they average 50 percent.
Is it a coincidence that these are the same neighborhoods near both corner stores and schools? Or, do the additional calories stem from a bigger issue, like parenting, since the snack money most likely comes from home? Either way, if we could educate kids on the importance of eating right, they could probably still get an apple and water for the same dollar -- with a lot more healthy bang for their buck.
