Computers may be hazardous to your health

Growing up, we used to go outdoors to play various games with the other neighborhood kids. We played games like tumbang preso, luksong tinik, patintero, and so on. We also played with holen (marbles), rubber bands, and tecks. Some would form basketball teams and challenge the teams from other streets. All in all, the neighborhood kids were physically fit and full of energy. The rule then, in terms of physical attributes, was the thin-reed kid who looked like he/she was malnourished.

The days of street games seem to be a thing of the past, particularly among children coming from the middle class up to the very affluent. Most of them are indoors playing with their Nintendos, Playstations, X-Boxes, or computers. So instead of physical exertions, kids today just sit in front of their game consoles or computers to play. This brings me to my point.

A visit to any of the grade or high school campuses of exclusive schools will show that there are probably more overweight children than at any point in our history. We cannot discount however the role of better food and nutrition as a contributing factor. However, even if, in fact, better food and nutrition contributed to the obesity of these children, the lack of physical activities certainly compounded the situation.

As we are all aware, obesity in children is a major health concern as this condition brings about a host of other ailments and diseases. Among these are diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Hence, early in their lives, these children are already made susceptible to more deadly, debilitating diseases they are likely to acquire as there grow older.

As members of society, we should register our concern about this situation. After all, the costs to all of us in the future is something we might not be able to bear.