The problem to solve in this article is childhood obesity. This paper gives the views that the parents have on the way the schools play a part in childhood obesity. Over the last few years the number of childhood obesity has skyrocketed. Roughly 9 million children have been reported to be obese and that number is steadily increasing. (Murphy & Polivka, 2007) . Schools more than ever play a significant role in our children today. Obesity can lead to many health issues if the problem is not addressed. If children simply add more physical activities and correct bad eating habits this can lower the numbers tremendously. According to Murphy and Polvika, Myers and Vargas decided to survey 200 parents to get their perspective on childhood obesity. In that article it explains how the parents feel and what they feel can correct this problem.…
In today 's society it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day duties of life; people often forget that their eating habits could be the death of them. The children of today are the children of the future, therefore raising them to make healthy eating choices in their childhood could prevent them from becoming part of the 20 percent of children that are obese. Over the past 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled in the United States. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, obesity in children is one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Due to a poor diet and lack of exercise children can run the dangerous risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes which go hand and hand with severely overweight children. Kids who are unhappy with their weight may also be more likely to develop eating disorders. Diagnosing and treating overweight and obesity in children as early as possible may reduce the risk of developing serious medical conditions. In the United States alone, over 300,000 deaths each year can be attributed to this disease (American Academy of Child, 2008). In 2005 a study found that children today may lead shorter lives by two to five years than their parents due to obesity (USA Today, 2011). Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise both at home and in school. Schools are a major cause of child obesity becoming an epidemic and it is time to take a closer look at how childhood obesity and the school system can be directly related. Removing nutrition in school lunches, lack of education toward…
Obesity occurs when an individual has more body fat then what is considered healthy for their height. People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop health issues then non-obese people. Sadly, obesity has become an epidemic in our nation, spreading throughout both the adult and adolescent communities. “Recent studies have shown that 17 percent of the nation’s 6- to 19-year-olds are obese, and that more than a third are overweight. Those rates have about doubled in the past three decades,” (Hotakainen 2012). Unquestionably, there have been many changes in our culture over the last 30 years. Technology and modern conveniences have transformed the way people work and play in the 21st century. Currently, many young people find themselves trying to keep up with schedules that, in most cases, leave little time for healthy choices. Thus, many children find it difficult to maintain their ideal body weight. Undeniably, there are many different lifestyle factors responsible for the obesity issue affecting our American youth today.…
Obesity is a huge concern in America today. We see more children, teens and adults eating unhealthy foods and not receiving enough exercise than any other point in history. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website, in 2008 between 16% and 33% of children and teens were considered obese . That is approximately one in four children who is over the suggested body fat limit for their age. What causes these children and adolescents to become overweight? Lack of exercise and a healthy diet are the main reasons. “In the 2009 edition of America’s Health Rankings™, it is estimated that obesity will cost the United States about $344 billion in medical-related expenses by 2018, eating up about 21 percent of the nation’s health-care spending. ” (National Association for Sport and Physical Education. 2009) Though school system cannot control what these children do and eat at home but they can control the food they eat at school . The school system can also provide the minimum amount of exercise needed in a child’s life. By…
In the United States today there is a widespread of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has increased at an alarming rate over the last 20 years. Today, nearly one in five children is battling this condition and if patterns predict the future, almost all of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying younger due to obesity within the next 20 years. (Alan) Think about this problem, Americans point their fingers at restaurants like McDonalds, saying their unhealthy foods and serving sizes are responsible However, people’s lifestyles are really to blame. They are so busy that they go to fast food restaurants instead of eating healthy meals at home. Parents need to be more observant with their children and what they eat; they need to be better role models for their children as well. (Palmer) The obesity in children has severe health risks. Until Americans stop themselves from going to fast food places the problem of obesity in the US will not go away.…
Childhood obesity is when a child is overweight and has or will have many serious health risks. Ji Li and Neal H. Hooker, in “Childhood Obesity and Schools,” explains that “childhood obesity is more than a problem in children; it is linked to adult obesity” (97). If a child is obese, she will stay obese in her adulthood. Helping children to stay healthy with the support of their parents and the school can prevent this problem. Jane E. Brody, in “ ‘Diabesity,’ a Crisis in an Expanding Country,” points out “two recent clinical trials showed that type 2 diabetes could be prevented by changes in diet and exercise” (207). The parents and the school can help children with their eating habit and to motivate them to do physical activities. They need to pay attention to this situation because children will have health problems and suffer with the consequences in their adulthood.…
Childhood obesity is the main focus in this article. This paper helps to give the parents their view of how schools are dealing with childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has been on a steady rise over the past few years. Approximately over 9 million children are obese and that number continues to rise (Murphy & Polivka, 2007). Schools play a very important role in children’s lives. There are many health issues that can arise due to obesity if it is not treated. Treating this disease can be as easy as more physical activity and a healthier diet. Unfortunately, children are eating more unhealthy foods and are engaged in less physical activities. Myers and Vargas decided to survey 200 people to get their views on childhood obesity (Murphy & Polivka, 2007). In this article there is discussion on how the parents feel and what they think can be done to try and help fix this issue.…
Childhood obesity has become a big important issue over the years. This issue should be addressed immediately. The problems seem to be the food that the children and adolescents eat and a little to no physical activity. Many children lead sedentary life styles at school and home. At school, they sit in classes all day with little or no physical activity and they eat non-nutritious lunches and snacks. At home, they sit in front of television for hours, play video games, stay on the computer for hours and also eat non-nutritious foods and snacks. However, the focus for this paper will be on the schools and their role in this problem, so the question is: Do the schools have a responsibility to help combat childhood obesity? Yes, they certainly do because my claim is that the school system shares some responsibility for the childhood obesity. The foods that they serve are not nutritious, the snacks that are available are full of sugar and fats and their physical education programs need to be revamped or they actually should offer a physical education program. The schools role could be pivotal in helping to combat childhood obesity, but it is not because they are not doing any thing to help combat the problem. The role that they play is helping to create the problem through their lunches, snacks and their lack of physical education programs. The children spend most of their day in school, at least seven hours, so the schools should offer nutritious lunches, snacks and good physical education programs to help with this epidemic of childhood obesity that can lead to so many medical problems that can exist on into adulthood.…
Pedregon 1Jeffrey PedregonMs. GeorgeEnglish 1A5 May 2016The Power of ObesityChildhood obesity has been a problem with children in the United States and the parents who take care of them for some time now. Through the inclining rates of childhood obesity, children have never been more at risk for such life threatening health issues. Lifestyle changes along with more physical activity in and outside of school will help the children move toward having a better quality of life.…
There are many various social problems in kids of America today ranging from poverty to drug abuse. One alarming factor that is rapidly exploding is childhood obesity. We have read and discussed Alice Davies’ article, “‘Extra Large,’ Please,” and taken notes on Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, Supersize Me, which describe the alarming social problem of childhood obesity connected to the fast food industry in America today. Davies stated: “Since 1980, the number of American kids who are dangerously overweight has tripled. More than 16 percent of our children qualify as ‘obese’” (Davies 114). Although childhood obesity is a growing problem stemming from a terrible diet and lack of exercise, we can take action now to avoid further detriment towards their future health.…
Childhood obesity is a demanding issue in the United States as "25% of children are overweight and 11% are obese". (Dehghan, Anwar) It has been shown that the amount of obese adolescents have doubled in the last two to three decades causing many serious health related issues in children. Type 2 diabetes and elevated blood pressure are some of the health issues that children are facing from being overweight. (Deckelbaum, Christine) These health issues are just proving that childhood obesity is a very big problem in our society. However by incorporating mandatory physical education courses in public schools and eliminating unhealthy snacks in vending machines, the number of obese adolescents will decrease.…
Child obesity in the United States today is growing to percentages that go off the charts, and the numbers are only getting worse. These numbers have more than doubled in the past 30 years alone. Three ways to reduce these problems are: first, schools will make significant changes in the food and meals offered; next, schools will proceed too having and encouraging more physical activities; last parents/legal guardians will become more aware of the influences they have on a child’s overall health by attending regular classes within their respected school districts. The school districts and parents/legal guardians will be required to help students and children adopt and maintain healthy eating habits, perform physical activity, and present a positive influence for children.…
Obesity in children and Adolescents represents one of the most frustrating and difficult disease to treat. Furthermore, one in five children in the United States is now over weight according to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The author of this article looks at the obesity in children and what is causing it, and how we can find a solution to it. Although this article offers well-supported arguments, it also has weakness. It is clearly known that the driving force for junk food industries is the large amount of money they infuse during Bush and Cheney campaign in 2005. The large amounts of money these companies give out during campaign enable them to be successful in continuing to be producing their junk food to the society. The consumption of these junk foods results in obesity in children in our society. Some people argue that schools are to be blamed for giving children free access to sugary foods, snacks and fast food. In other words, some people say children are obese not because of what they eat, but because of lack of exercise. This makes companies like McDonald’s, Pepsi, Coke and others to hand out funding fitness centers that would make children to move.…
Why are cell phones dangerous? Cell phones are what people use in their everyday lives throughout the 21st century. Cell phones have been around since the 1980’s. Cell phones are being used from young kids to elderly adults. All around the world there are cell phones .…
Present day American culture promotes unhealthy eating habits in children. “Childhood obesity is a major public health concern, and has more than doubled since the 1970’s” (Ludmila 1). This can be a big dilemma because kids are developing an unhealthily lifestyle so young. America’s public schooling system needs to be held responsible for the causes of child obesity and make changes to accommodate the effects. Changes should be made in schools lunch menus and the types of foods found in vending machines. More classes could be created and required to teach children ways to avoid unhealthy habits. Schools could also allow more physical education and recess time to promote more active students. Public schooling is responsible for a large portion of the causes of childhood obesity. If changes could be made then the start for healthier lives of young people can begin.…