Fast food meals make up 12% of children's caloric intake, experts reveal

Childhood obesity is a growing concern all over the world, and while experts try to educate parents about proper nutrition, it seems that it is not enough. A new report shows that most children get 12 percent of their caloric intake from fast food meals, while more than 40 percent of the daily calories of adolescents are from pizza or restaurant fast food options.

Reuters reports that according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics, over a third or more than 34 percent of kids and pre-teens are consuming meals from fast food restaurants on a daily basis. This means that the age group between two to nineteen years old are getting more calories than recommended, and are eating unhealthy food choices.

Pediatrician Dr. Esther Krych from the Children's Center of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota shares that the report should alert experts and parents as it is certainly a significant number. It only shows that more work should be done to educate families about the disadvantages of consuming too much fast food meals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was able to formulate these numbers through the help of data taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between the year 2011 to 2012, TIME Magazine adds.

The researchers share that the numbers are not dependent on gender, poverty status or weight but they detected a lower caloric intake among non-Hispanic Asian children than non-Hispanic white, black and Hispanic kids. The authors of the study explained that the difference could be due to the role US lifestyle plays on the practice of unhealthy behaviors.

In the United States, childhood obesity affects about 13 million kids and pre-teens, making it one of the most serious health concerns in the country. For the last 30 years, the CDC reports how childhood obesity became twice as prevalent among kids, while it quadrupled among adolescents.

USA Today writes that one of the reasons why families opt to eat at fast food restaurants is because of how the food tastes, even though most of the time it is unhealthy. Bonnie Taub-Dix, dietician and owner of the "Better than Dieting" website shares that parents also like fast food meals because of the convenience and the price. President Sandra Hassink of the American Academy of Pediatrics believes savvy marketing is also another reason why families are drawn to fast food restaurants, like the inclusion of freebies and pairing meals with cartoon characters.

Advance planning may be the key to avoid stopping at a fast food restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Taub-Dix shares it would be best to prepare healthy snacks like carrot sticks, fruits slices and cracker or let kids help in the kitchen to make them try the food they made. Overall, experts hope that through this report, proper nutrition and healthier food choices will be promoted in the household to help fight childhood obesity.