Childhood obesity is one of the nation’s fastest growing problems. At this point in time, almost one out of every three young Americans is overweight. The rate of childhood obesity has tripled over the past three years. In order to have a healthy America in the future, we must start with the youth and teach them good practices. The first obstacle to overcome is children’s eating habits and the food provided to them. The second is the lack of exercise among young Americans.

Today’s youth needs to be encouraged to eat healthier foods. We are the ones who must teach them how to do this. Families around the United States need to change the food they feed their kids and the items on their grocery list. Families must make smarter decisions to prevent childhood obesity. They must introduce fruits and vegetables back into the diets of young Americans and replace the fatty and processed foods they are currently eating. If parents teach their children what it means to eat healthy and what a well-rounded diet looks like, children will be better inclined to make those smart decisions on their own.

As Vineyarders we are lucky to have enough healthy options at our fingertips. Our grocery stores are full of Island-grown foods and healthy substitutes. We need to take advantage of organizations like the Island Grown Initiative, which makes it easy to purchase these Island-grown foods. The young people of Martha’s Vineyard have the opportunity to change the eating habits of fellow Islanders as well as the rest of America. We can do this by supporting these organizations and convince others to be a part of them by buying these healthy foods. We can also encourage people to eat family dinners that teach healthy eating habits alongside healthy eating choices and setting mealtimes to prevent snacking before and after meals.

Martha’s Vineyard youth can also stand alongside our schools in their transitions to a healthier menu. Young Islanders can play an important role in the prevention of childhood obesity due to poor eating habits.

Although most attention drawn to childhood obesity focuses on food and eating habits, there is a second battle we must fight. Exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. The Let’s Move organization founded by First Lady Michelle Obama states, “Children need 60 minutes of play with moderate to vigorous activity every day to grow up to a healthy weight.” In our busy lifestyles 60 minutes appears to be a substantial amount of time. This is until you think about how much time the average American teenager spends on Facebook and watching television each day.

One hour of exercise each day can transform a person’s health. We, the young people of Martha’s Vineyard, have influence in our community. We can use this influence to promote exercise among the Island’s youth. Young Islanders can convince the Vineyard’s youth as well as each other to get active. We can also encourage younger boys and girls to play sports. As high school students we are looked up to by elementary school-aged kids. When they see and talk to high school athletes it encourages them to participate in sports.

For the past two years the Martha’s Vineyard girls’ hockey team has traveled to all the Island elementary schools. There we have talked to middle school-aged girls and boys and encouraged them to play hockey, a dying sport among Island girls. We have explained reasons they should play hockey and what it can do for them. For the past two years we have recruited enough girls to play that a youth girls’ team has been created. This team has given the Island’s girls an opportunity to play hockey and exercise, and also given them a team to play on. More efforts like this across the country could wildly increase the participation in sports throughout America.

America’s childhood obesity prevention can use all the help it can get. The young people of Martha’s Vineyard have an opportunity to change the lives of America’s youth. By changing eating habits, while incorporating fruits, vegetables and more water into each family’s diets, we can help prevent obesity. When we add in the exercise that we can encourage and the impact young people have on our community, we can turn around the childhood obesity statistics in the United States. One word I have found myself using throughout this essay is encourage. This is what we must do. It is our duty as young Americans to encourage the county’s youth to live healthy lives and make healthy decisions.