You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Discuss both sides of this argument and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Childhood obesity is on the rise in most western societies as well as some developing countries. Some would argue that parents’ busy lifestyle is culpable for this increase, while others believe that the government is to blame for this phenomenon. I believe the government is mostly responsible for that because it failed to curb the root cause of the child obesity issue.
It is often argued that parents are responsible for the epidemic of childhood obesity. It is because parents’ busy lifestyles correlated to overweight of children. That is to say that parents’ busy life is likely to decrease advantageous routines, like usual family meals and physical activities with children. In consequence, they cannot develop the youngster’s healthy diet and activity behaviours, thereby contributing to overweight. For example, a recent study finds that parents’ hectic lifestyle can lead to an adolescent’s unhealthy routines, such as increasing interest in video and smartphone apps instead of exercise, that contribute to gaining weight.
On the other hand, the government has also been widely blamed for overweight youngsters. The reason is that it fails to address the main causes of childhood obesity. In simple words, the government is indifferent to the aggressive marketing of high-calorie foods and sugar-sweetened beverages that gives the rise to the intake of unhealthy foods and drinks. This results in an alarming increase in childhood obesity. I concur with this school of thought because the government has not yet regulated the food industry. To illustrate the point, the government can impose high taxes on junk foods and sugary drinks and ban the marketing and selling of unhealthy foods and beverages for children. This, in turn, would reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods, and when their consumption reduces, the rate of childhood obesity will also decrease. I am convinced that the government is mainly responsible for this degradation of children’s health because of its lack of effective policy to curb the issue.
In conclusion, although parents are held responsible for the overweight of children, the government is highly liable for this because it does not address the issues that mainly lead to childhood obesity.
This post was last modified on 11th January 2022 1:51 pm