The Impact of Modern Lifestyle on Children's Health

The Impact of Modern Lifestyle on children's Health

Regardless of whether children come from affluent or impoverished families, their lifestyle plays a crucial role in determining their health. However, modernized living has gradually led our children away from healthy lifestyles. From the start of their schooling, children spend most of their time sitting, engaging in extended TV and computer usage, and participating less in physical activities and exercise. This unhealthy lifestyle is a key factor affecting children's health, not only disrupting their normal growth and development but also making them susceptible to various chronic diseases. In particular, the appropriate amount of aerobic exercise for children and adolescents is decreasing, and their dietary structure is becoming imbalanced, significantly impacting their overall health.

Research indicates that modern lifestyle has the following effects on children's health:

(1) Impact on endurance: Endurance refers to the body's ability to overcome fatigue during prolonged studying, working, and physical activity, and it is an important indicator of overall health and physical fitness. Most children nowadays are only children in their families and lead lives where everything is readily available to them, making their physical activities notably reduced. They generally lack the spirit of hard work and have little interest in sports, resulting in a significant decline in endurance. Low endurance in children indicates reduced cardiovascular and respiratory system functions, leading to an increased tendency for diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia that are typically associated with middle-aged and elderly people.

(2) Impact on body shape: Changes in modern lifestyle have led teenagers to lean more towards high-fat and high-protein foods in their dietary habits. The phenomenon of children being picky eaters is especially severe, leading to improper nutrition and dietary structure, which can result in either malnutrition or obesity.

(3) Impact on vision: With electronic devices (TVs, game consoles, computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) becoming ubiquitous in households, the time originally dedicated to children's physical activities is gradually replaced by electronic devices. Many children head straight to game arcades and internet cafes after school, negatively affecting their physical and mental health, particularly their vision.

(4) Impact on mental health: Children's psychological health issues arise from four aspects: family, school, society, and self. In the family, parents, driven by the desire to see their children succeed, often neglect their child's interests and blindly push them into various classes, extracurricular activities, or tutoring, resulting in excessive academic pressure. At school, teachers, motivated solely by pursuing academic achievements and admission rates, place excessively high demands on students and may use excessive rewards and punishments during teaching, leading to imbalanced mental states in students. In society, unhealthy practices, such as inappropriate websites and internet cafes, attract many students to indulge in excessive internet use and video gaming. On the self-front, children often lack self-restraint, exhibit emotional instability, irregular eating and sleeping habits, diminished memory, and declining academic performance.