Parents and caregivers play a central part in the nurturing of children and therefore significantly influence their decisions later in life. Since the type of content that parents consume are a reflection of their influences, examining dominant content in parents’ magazines can give a clear picture of the societal perception of raising children. Therefore, the findings of the article “Sedentary images in a popular US-based parenting magazine” are consequential and should be given considerable attention(Baschet al., 56). In the article, it was concluded that most of the magazines depicted children in a sedentary setting thus giving the notion that this type of lifestyle is prevalent among families in the United States of America. The above depiction gives a challenge to the development of healthy habits that can counter obesity that is a current problem in society. This paper aims to examine barriers to improving children’s sedentary lifestyle and strategies that may be employed at family-level to adjust to a more active lifestyle.

 First, parents can be a significant obstacle to an active lifestyle. In the current modern day setting, parents often have very tight schedules that they try to juggle due to their everyday work and responsibilities. Consequently, they spend less time with their children, and thus their offspring get less time being active. In some cases, even when they spend time with their children, they leave them in certain areas for some time instead of actively engaging them. Moreover, parents have turned to more convenient means of transport and movement that do not task the children significantly. An example of such a scenario is how parents prefer to use the escalator when moving around in malls rather than the stairs. Additionally, activities that are physically-tasking have been branded as naughty. The above presumption is notable in that parents often limit the physical movement of their children as a form of punishment for bad behavior. Consequently, a negative picture is depicted as an active lifestyle.

 Secondly, the childcare environment is also a significant influence on the development of an active environment. In the modern day setting, a considerable number of people lives in urban areas that are often crowded and lack areas that allow children to be active. Moreover, in these areas, children are not accorded with resources and opportunities to explore physical activities and thus are limited to a sedentary lifestyle. Additionally, in schools, physical activities are often forced to take a backseat to academic prowess, and therefore the children are not engaged physically at school. Furthermore, in some schools, resources such as playing grounds and bicycles are strained due to the enormous workload the school faces due to the number of children they have.

            Thirdly, safety concern is a challenge that inhibits children’s increased activity. In most cases, parents are usually afraid of the ramifications of physical injuries that children may encounter in activities that require active physical participation. Therefore, they give specific instructions to teachers at schools about the limitations of their offsprings’ activities. Moreover, the safety regulations that are imposed on playing equipment for children are not as physically demanding as those used in the yesteryears. Furthermore, safety has become a huge concern in the neighborhoods that children stay. Unlike in earlier years, threats to children’s well-being have escalated to the point that it is no longer safe for children to play outside. Therefore, most parents have resolved to keep their children indoors rather than have them play out.

            Scheduling of regular activity is a strategy that can be employed at the family level that would increase the activity level of family members. Research has indicated that adults need at least thirty minutes of exercise in a day(Stuntz and Weiss, 436). On the other hand, children need sixty minutes of exercise daily. The synchronization of both parents’ and children’s daily routine to include a specific time for training has high chances of success. In addition to this, the setting of specific goals for such activities will significantly boost the chances of encouraging activeness among family members.

Furthermore, the introduction of a healthy meal plan can considerably aid in ensuring activity levels of children remain high(Stuntz and Weiss, 436 ). In addition to this, parents have to educate their children on the importance of eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet. Furthermore, parents should involve their children in the selection of healthy foods and the preparation of these meals. Moreover, parents should take their children shopping, allow them to locate the food and teach them how to read labels. The involvement of children in the whole meal plan process is a guarantee that everyone will understand meal choices and thus the plan will not feel forced upon anyone.

The ideal age for starting obese prevention should be three to five years. The reason for suggesting such an early age is that statistics show that more than one in every five children within the range of two to five years is overweight. Therefore, it is prudent to begin early since obesity results from the lifestyle being led by the individual(Stuntz and Weiss, 435 ). Furthermore, the introduction of an active lifestyle at such an early age builds a routine that is likely to carry on into a child’s later years, therefore, reducing the chances of developing obesity.

Works Cited

Basch, Corey H., et al. “Sedentary images in a popular US based parenting magazine:2010-2015.” Health Promotion Perspectives, vol. 6, no. 2, 2016, pp. 55-57.

Stuntz, Cheryl P., and Maureen R. Weiss. “Motivating Children and Adolescents to Sustain a Physically Active Lifestyle.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, vol. 4, no. 5, 2010, pp. 433-444.

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