Childhood Obesity Research

In these days, obesity is a one of serious problems in the U.S. Obesity is disease that causes weakness of bone, adult illness or other diseases. The number of obese people is increasing ,and Especially childhood obesity is becoming a serious issue with many health problems and social problems. People that suffer from obesity in their childhood will have a hard time to get rid of the fat in their life. It affects not only adults, but also children. It can be more serious social problems.. In the U.S twenty five percent of children are overweight and obese. About 70% of obese adolescents grow up to become obese when they are adult. It is not only U.S 's problem, but also every other countries. For example, "childhood obesity in developed countries can has been increasing since 1971"(Degahn). The most serious problems that causing childhood obesity are eating habits, lack of exercise, and advertising of food. Basically, obesity means the condition of being extremely overweight. There is a standard to measure among child is normal or obesity or overweight. "It can be defined as an excess of body fat. There is no consensus on a cutoff point for excess fatness of overweight or obesity in children and adolescents"(Degahn). Also, "The Center for Disease Control and prevention defied overweight as at or above the 95th percentile of BMI, Body Mass Index, for age and 'at risk for overweight ' as between 85th to 95th percentile of BMI for age"(Degahn). Irregular eating habit makes children obese. In current society, .many people live a hectic and busy life. Children also put in same environment. Children usually go to school early and come back late night. It causes children to delay even skip their daily meals. Sometimes the only chance to eat is in the car while they are going to school or coming back from the school to home to have breakfast or dinner. As a result, children are eating fast and instant food contains high fat and calories and drinking more sugar-sweetened drinks. It makes children and their parents lead to consume high calories food more and more because it is convenient and low cost. High calorie foods and irregular eating patterns make people 's health deteriorate, reduce metabolic rate, and can lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is one of the results of irregular eating habits. Also, socio-economic status of parents is related to eating habits. "Children from families with higher socioeconomic status are no less likely to be overweight or obese than those in families with lower socioeconomic status"(Childhood Obesity). Usually, low class family has dual income so that they could not pay attention to their children less than only husband or wife works. Even though parents from higher socioeconomic status are a dual income family, they can afford to hire babysitter for their children so that they can take care of their children well. To solve this problem, when parents go to groceries store, they should choose fruits or vegetables instead of convenience food such as fast food. fast food is most of those kind of food that contain high in sugar and fat. Also, they have to limit sweetened beverages such as soda, juice. "These drinks provide little nutritional value in exchange for their high calories so that they can make children feel too full to eat healthier foods"(Treatment and Drugs). "When parents and children have a meal, they should discourage eating in front of a screen, such as a television, computer or video game because this leads to fast eating and lowered awareness of how much they are eating"(Treatment and Drugs).Even though those things are not a big deal to do, Parents should aware that even small changes can make a big difference in children 's health. another cause of obesity is lack of exercise. To solve the problem of obesity, exercise is more important than before. However, watching television, using the computer, and play video games make children lack of exercise. In addition, increased proportions of children who are being driven to school and low participation rates in sports and physical education are also associated with increased childhood obesity. "Currently schools are decreasing the amount of physical activity which children receive during school hours. Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and less than one -fifth have extracurricular physical activity programs at their schools"(Childhood Obesity). To solve the lack of exercise problem, parents need to limit using computer and watching Television too much and find activities which children like. In order to find what children like, parents have to vary activities. The more parents try many activities, the more they can find what children want to do easily. To find activities which the whole family can enjoy together could ne one of solution, Also school have to increase amount of physical education time. "A recent examination of the Department of Education 's Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey found that a one-hour increase in physical education per week resulted in a 0.31 point drop in body mass index among overweight and at-risk grade girls"(Childhood Obesity). The other cause of obesity is a advertising of food. U.S. Department 's article states currently children view more than 40,000 commercials on television each year, a sharp increase from 20,000 in the 1970s(Childhood obesity). Most of the commercials are about candy, fast food, or beverage. The more children watch the commercial, the more possibility of children 's obesity increases. Because they are too young to have enough discernment, some children believe everything on commercial as a true. Then they want to buy what they watch on the television. To solve the advertising of food problem, government should regulate an exaggerated advertisement. Most of fast food or snack has not enough nutrients while the food has high calories and fats. Those food look nice and healthy even it is not. If the company advertises an exaggerated commercial, imposing a duty to that company could be one of solutions. Also, when the company advertises, they should show real ingredients and calories on commercial. If so, children or parents could recognize easily the food is healthy or not. Opponents of this stance argue that childhood obesity is genetic. There is evidence that supports genetic susceptibility as an important risk for obesity. "Biological relative exhibit similarities in maintenance of body weight, and that heredity contributes between five and 40 percent of the risk for obesity"(Childhood Obesity).However, childhood obesity is very complex disease ,so There is not only one reason. If children inherit an obesity gene from their parents, they can control cause of childhood obesity with the effort that trying to fix the problems such as eating habits and lack of exercise. In conclusion, childhood obesity is caused by many problems such as eating habits, lack of exercise, and advertising of food. Obesity in childhood brings to children negative effect on both psychological and physical factor. In psychology, obesity is defined as one of disorder. Like this, obesity is pretty serious disease. Childhood obesity is more serious than adult because if children become obese, possibility of adult obesity increases. Therefore, parents should pay attention to their children and children also follow their parents. If children and their parents try to fix those problems, childhood obesity could be solved.

Works Cited

Dehgahn, Mahshid, Noori Akhtar-Daneshm, and Anwar T.Merchant. "Childhood Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention." Nutrition Journal. 02 Sept. 2005. Web. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
"Treatments and Drugs."Mayo clinic. Mayo foundation for Medical Education and Reseatch 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
. "Childhood Obesity." U.S. Department of Health & Human Servies hhs.gov. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.

Outline Deoksoo Han thesis statement: The most serious problems that causing childhood obesity are eating habits, lack of exercise, and advertising of food.

I. Irregular eating habit makes children obese.
A:people 's lifestyle -hectic and busy life.
B. socio-economic status - dual income family
II. another cause of obesity is lack of exercise.
A. electronic device - watching television, using the computer, and play video games
B. Education - low participation rates in sports and physical education
III. The other cause of obesity is a advertising of food.
A. advertisement- exaggerated advertisement, dishonesty of company Children 's rash acception.

Childhood Obesity (Final Draft) By Deoksoo Han

ESL 151 Fall 2012

Cited: Dehgahn, Mahshid, Noori Akhtar-Daneshm, and Anwar T.Merchant. "Childhood Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention." Nutrition Journal. 02 Sept. 2005. Web. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. "Treatments and Drugs."Mayo clinic. Mayo foundation for Medical Education and Reseatch 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . "Childhood Obesity." U.S. Department of Health & Human Servies hhs.gov. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.