Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood Obesity
In this essay I’m going to be explaining childhood obesity. And some of the leading causes of this problem and ways I think could be helpful in finding a way to fix this problem. Some of the things will be things that I have experienced and seen and some of it will be things that I read up on. So before I began do you think that this problem is caused from society as a whole becoming lazy, the media shoving unhealthy food and beverages in our face in many different forms from radio and TV commercials, billboards, social networks, and grocery ads, or is it because there are at least 3 or more fast food restaurants on every street corner? I personally feel all of the above is why, but continue reading and then decided for
yourself.

I have a family member who has had to deal with childhood obesity and from what I have seen a lot of the reason we are dealing with childhood obesity is poor diet, such as fast food, vending machine snacks, baked goods, candy, dessert and soft drinks.
Which seem to be taking over America not just children it’s just a higher risk for children. Also lack of exercise we as Americans have become lazy because of new technology i.e. Computers, television, video games, and cell phones. All of these technologies have made it easier for our children to eat poorly and not exercising or playing outside which in turn is causing childhood obesity. These are only two of the causes; others can be genetics or hormonal issues. Another cause is family history which means if the child only see his family eating junk food in large amounts and not eating healthy things at all and they don’t exercise then the child is going to do the same thing. Socioeconomics is another cause, this is when we go into the store and walk right past the fresher foods to the easier less expensive foods. (I personally use to do this a lot). Like frozen meals, cookies, crackers, chips and all the other junk food that is easily accessible when shopping. We do this as Americans because it’s more “convenient” for us as working families. Psychological eating such as eating out of boredom or eating to deal with stress or emotions. We see a lot in children now because of all the bullying they have to deal with at school or
even at home.
There are also a lot of physical and emotional issues that come with childhood obesity, some of the physical complications are type 2 diabetes which is a condition that affects the way the body metabolizes sugar.
They can develop asthma and other breathing problems; get high blood pressure or high cholesterol. A sleep disorder called sleep apnea can also develop which causes snoring and breathing problems while they are sleeping. Another very serious problem is called metabolic syndrome it is a cluster of conditions that can put your child at risk of developing heart disease, or other serious health problems. Emotional issues also play a big role in this problem, I have seen my nephew develop low self-esteem and have some depression issues as he gets older. Although his stems from a hormonal problem he is still treated differently. Other kids have developed behavioral and learning problems. These are all very serious issues that I believe no child or young teenager should have to go
through.

So here are some of the things I think we can do to change childhood obesity, healthy eating, we as parents are the ones who buy and prepare the meals for our children. So let’s start by eating healthier and getting our children involved in picking out and cooking dinners. Even small changes can make a big difference. When buying your groceries try to choose fresh fruits and vegetables and try to have a healthy snack available instead of candy. Try sitting down together as a family for meals. This means no electronics aloud at the dinner table, no televisions on just a family sitting down and talking about how there day was with each other. Watch how often you are eating out, if you do go out to eat don’t eat at fast food places go to a place where they will have healthier choices for your family. Instead of having your children buy lunch at school pack them a lunch that’s healthy and keeps them well energized.
I also believe physical activity is an important part of weight loss, especially for children so if you want an active child you have to be active yourself. I think a great way to do this is to limit our use of electronics to, we will say 2 -2 ½ hrs. A day, the rest of that time should be spent doing activities that the children enjoy weather its hike, tag, racing, playing catch or flag football, as long as there up and active and having fun. Making it fun will make them become more interested and maybe even want to do it. Remember to always praise the efforts that our children are making, when they know how good they are doing it makes them feel better. We also need to remember to talk to our children everyday about the emotions and feelings and try to help them work through them with positive goals.

In the end if we as Americans didn’t let technology and media get the best of us we would probably still be a pretty healthy country, by this I mean families would be outside playing, walking to and from school or riding their bikes, fishing, or playing in door activities took keep busy on a cold or rainy day. But they got us some way somehow we fell to their evil. So if we start doing little things daily in our own lives, we will begin to improve the lives of our children.