McDonald's Happy Meal (Photo : Reuters)
About one-third of the United States' children and teens eat fast food such as burgers, fries, or pizza, on any given day, based on a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, the consumption rates of fatty, salty, and sugary foods at restaurant chains including McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut have not changed during the past 15 years greatly due to radio, TV, and Internet ads.
Children get about 190 of their daily calories from fast food. However, teens eat two times as much fast food as young children, comprising 17 percent of their daily calories.
The rates of fast food consumption is the same in American adults as in children. This is despite the recent struggles of McDonald's sales figures.
Major fast food chains often target U.S. kids in their marketing. In fact, youngsters daily watch an average of three to five fast food ads daily.
Another factor related to fast food's appeal is the low cost. Value menus are often $1 and include tasty items including hamburgers, fries, and ice cream.
In addition, humans are hardwired to crave sweet and salty foods. When sodas and fries are paired up with fatty meats and cheeses, such combos are hard to resist.
Within time fast food becomes a bad habit and addictive. Stephen Point from the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas explained that teens in particular are less concerned about the long-term health effects of fast food, according to NPR.
The health effects of fast food on kids and teens have been devastating. Obesity rates among children more than doubled during the past three decades, while they have quadrupled among teenagers.
Americans are also acquiring diet-related diseases at a much younger age than in the past. Sandra Hassink, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, noted in a USA Today interview that a record-low three-year-old girl was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to Mother Jones.
However, many fast food chains are taking steps to make their menus healthier. For example, McDonalds has shrunk its Happy Meal's portion sizes. It also added new salads and kale at some locations.
