Childhood Obesity
Rahming 1
Giovanni Rahming
Ms. Joan Norman
English 119
29th March, 2010
Causes of Childhood Obesity At some point in life, every parent has told their child to eat their vegetables. Most children ignore this request, however they should oblige. Obesity among children is becoming more and more common in today’s society and many people are wondering why. In 2006, then Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel stated in the House of Assembly that 65% of adult Bahamians are overweight and 23% of children and teenagers between the ages of 11 and 20 are overweight. He stated that this was a 10% increase over the previous year in terms of children and teenagers. The percentage of adults who were overweight only went up by 5%. These figures were calculated in the year 2006. It is now 2010 and those figures have probably doubled. This major increase in childhood obesity was brought about by a multitude of causes. Some of these are lack of exercise, poor diet and genetic predispositions. Before one can examine the causes of obesity, one must understand what obesity is. The Centre For Disease Control describes obesity as a medical condition which involves the accumulation of excess body fat to the point where it is a risk to the general health of the person. Being obese should not be confused with being overweight. If a person is overweight it
Rahming 2 simply means that the person has gained more weight than is necessary. It is not a direct threat to the general health of the person but it should still be taken seriously. Before a person can become obese he/she must first be overweight. It is the first step on the way to becoming obese and a step that many children in the Bahamas have already passed. Lack of exercise is one of the main reasons for obesity in children and teenagers. It is recommended that one should engage in at least thirty minutes of vigorous exercise per day. Unfortunately, this is not the case concerning most children in The
Giovanni Rahming
Ms. Joan Norman
English 119
29th March, 2010
Causes of Childhood Obesity At some point in life, every parent has told their child to eat their vegetables. Most children ignore this request, however they should oblige. Obesity among children is becoming more and more common in today’s society and many people are wondering why. In 2006, then Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel stated in the House of Assembly that 65% of adult Bahamians are overweight and 23% of children and teenagers between the ages of 11 and 20 are overweight. He stated that this was a 10% increase over the previous year in terms of children and teenagers. The percentage of adults who were overweight only went up by 5%. These figures were calculated in the year 2006. It is now 2010 and those figures have probably doubled. This major increase in childhood obesity was brought about by a multitude of causes. Some of these are lack of exercise, poor diet and genetic predispositions. Before one can examine the causes of obesity, one must understand what obesity is. The Centre For Disease Control describes obesity as a medical condition which involves the accumulation of excess body fat to the point where it is a risk to the general health of the person. Being obese should not be confused with being overweight. If a person is overweight it
Rahming 2 simply means that the person has gained more weight than is necessary. It is not a direct threat to the general health of the person but it should still be taken seriously. Before a person can become obese he/she must first be overweight. It is the first step on the way to becoming obese and a step that many children in the Bahamas have already passed. Lack of exercise is one of the main reasons for obesity in children and teenagers. It is recommended that one should engage in at least thirty minutes of vigorous exercise per day. Unfortunately, this is not the case concerning most children in The
Cited: “Childhood Obesity Caused By Lack of Exercise.” Medical News Today 2004. 16 Mar. 2010 “Getting Your Kids To Exercise” Nassau Guardian 5 May. 2005 16 Mar. 2010 Interview with Dr. Hubert Minnis. Bahamas Tonight. ZNS Network. 28. Feb. 2010 Kopland, Jeffery., Koraak, Vivicka., Liverman, Catharyn., eds. Preventing Childhood Obesity, Health In The Balance. Washington D.C., 2005 Obesity and Genomics 2005. Center For Disease Control 23 Mar. 2010 Skiles, Charlotte. Effects Of Poor Diet In Children 2009. 16 Mar. 2010 Thompson, Lindsay. Minister of Health Encourages Fight Against Obesity. 2008 26. Mar. 2010 Thompson, Zandra. Obesity As A Risk Factor For Disease. 2006 26. Mar. 2010