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Childhood Obesity Persuasive Essay

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Childhood Obesity Persuasive Essay
These past few decades have shown drastic changes in how health is perceived. With childhood obesity raising every year this is something that needs to be recognized with a change following it. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period of time (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). These numbers shock me, and with recess and physical activities being removed from school in favor of increased academic studies, this needs to change. My first solution comes in the form of educating the kids in every opportunity possible. Another …show more content…
If we don’t share with them the information on why this is dangerous and why change needs to come, then we are failing our future generation. A BMI of 30% or higher is considered obese. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of developing additional health problems (Calorie Control Council). With the normal BMI being roughly around 20%, becoming what is considered obese can easily happen. That is where we must to intervene as a parents, siblings, family member, friend or teacher. This is where we have to be the people of encouragement. Informing the youth can be hard at times because the words shared can become misconstrued; so remember positive encouragement is the key. We need to share that eating fast food even though it is quick is not healthy for you at all. Promoting limitations to how much time kids can spend playing games or using electronic devices. Informing them of them what health risk are prone to an unhealthy life style. Being the parents of the future generation we need to be the role models to our words. We all know the saying “actions speak louder than words” and this is a very truthful statement. With 72% of older men and 67% of older women in America being considered overweight or obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), we must take actions to show the youth that exercise and healthy eating habits result in a more active life style and prevent future health

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