CAIRO: For all its advantages, technology comes with plenty of malfunctions. When seven-year-olds prefer to sit at home and play games on their computers rather than be outdoors playing a game of basketball, the ugly side of technology rears its head. The fact of the matter is that the youth of today, while technologically savvy, have become a lazy generation of couch potatoes. No one can dispute the benefits of the Internet; however, technological gadgets have taken the place of fresh air, exercise and maybe even a little fun. "The reason why more children are becoming overweight is very clear. They are simply consuming more calories and exercising less, says Sarah El Tatawy, a resident pediatric at Abou El Rish, Cairo University's children's hospital. Surveys have confirmed as much. According to the Health Literature Organization, children are exercising less and engaging more in pastimes like watching television and playing video games. At the same time, snack foods are more widely available and come in larger portions than ever before, leading to a high risk of obesity. This is not restricted to industrialized societies. In fact, the increase in obesity is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Even traditionally poor countries, whose obesity numbers were much lower than those of rich countries, such as the United States, have seen an increased number of obese children within the last decade. According to the health literature organization, in Chinese cities, the percentage of obese children has increased from 1.5 to 12.6 percent in the last 10 years, while in Thailand, the prevalence of obesity among children of the five to 12 age bracket rose from12.2 percent to 15.6 percent in just two years. According to the WHO, an estimated 22 million children under the age of five are overweight. Obesity has also hit home. According to the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, there have been great changes in the dietary habits of Middle Eastern populations in the past decades, accounting for a plus-size generation of youth. As globalization hits our streets, allowing countries such as Egypt to join the new age of super efficiency, kids are paying the price, preferring to eat super-sized fries on the trays of their keyboards than sit down at the dinning table for a healthy meal with their families. "When I was a kid, we didn't have all these fast food chains that we have today, says Mohammed Abdallah, 51 and father of three. "We ate home-cooked food everyday, or versions of home-cooked food at restaurants, which we went to far less frequently than our children. We also played sports. I think I was on the basketball team, the football team and took gymnastics and swimming. Depending on the sport of the season, my mother made sure I joined the club. According to Abdallah, his children eat junk food on average of three times a week, not including school lunches, which offer Hardees and Pizza Hut meals on their menu. "Most parents aren't encouraging a healthy lifestyle for their kids either. As many parents work, they either give their kids money for school lunch or feed them fast food instead of preparing a balanced meal, El Tatawy says. "Even those who do cook, use too much oil and butter, as is the tradition in most Egyptian homes. "The fact that many people aren't aware of is that fat cells are formed early in life and remain with a person throughout adulthood, she adds, "Thus, overeating as a child increases the number of fat cells which persists throughout a persons life predisposing to obesity. However, according to El Tatawy, food is not entirely to blame for the unhealthy lifestyles of our youth. "It's not just food, says El Tatawy. "Lack of exercise and a generally sedentary lifestyle plays a major role. Some countries naturally have a healthy diet, their traditional dishes consist of less fat and more proteins and fiber, but still their children are gaining weight because they play fewer sports and spend more time in front of the TV. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) summarized that a decline in physical activity is the culprit for obesity in children. A fear of many web analysts and observers is that today s teenagers, who have never known a world without the Web, will become fixated on instant communication for all their socializing, according to ConsumerAffairs.com. Teens and young adults are increasingly turning to communication tools such as web messenger to socialize. The danger may come from simply having too much of a good thing. As useful and entertaining as technology is, kids still need time to unplug and interact face-to-face. "Rather than banning technological gadgets from the home, a better solution might simply be to balance web surfing and game playing with some more offline activities, such as sports, says El Tatawy, "Parents should also take family time to an outdoor, physical venue rather than a dinner-and-a-movie outing. "I try to take my kids to the sporting club on my day off, have them play squash or basketball, or even just walk around the grounds, Abdallah says. "But I'll admit it; sometimes you have this overwhelming urge after a long day of work, to come home, order a pizza, watch a movie and relax.
