Obesity In America
Taking a Deeper Look
Obesity is a serious problem in America. It is a much bigger problem than people perceive. In fact, over a third of the nation’s population is obese. Being obese and being overweight is not the same thing, although they are often perceived as being the same. Being overweight means that a person weighs too much in comparison with their height; however, obesity is observed by the amount of body fat a person has (Winters 44). Americans perceive being obese the same way they perceive being overweight; they see both as simply being a cosmetic problem that can be fixed with the right nutrition and diet (Hughes 72). This may be true for people that are overweight; however obesity is a very serious health problem whose solution must be further studied. In fact, the rate of obesity has raised so much over the past decades, it is considered to be one of America’s biggest health problems (Wang 1572). For one to solve the health problem of obesity, he or she must not assume that the solution of obesity for everyone is diet and exercise, but they must look further into obesity in race and age to determine the real factors. For one to begin to find the solution of obesity, it is necessary to observe obesity in children. Obesity in children is most often defined by an excess amount of body fat (Metz 129). It is obvious that childhood is the most common age group affected by …show more content…
obesity, considering over twenty-three million American children and adolescents are obese. Also, the amount of overweight adolescents is greater in the United States than any other Western country (Hughes 72). Being obese does not only cause health problems in their childhood, but it is the ultimate cause in problems that will develop later on in life such as hypertension, high cholesterol, breathing and orthopedic problems, depression, and type two diabetes. Also, children who are obese are more likely to develop sleep disorders and gall bladder and cardiovascular diseases during adulthood (King 571).
One way to observe how obesity is affecting childhood is to study past generations. Children today are spending so much less time than their parents and grandparents engaging in simple physical activity such as playing outside. There are also many more opportunities for children to get involved in bad diets, considering the fast food and unhealthy snack choices in vending machines made easily attainable to children. (Green 915). It is not that children choose this lifestyle; their home life is what causes this bad diet and lack of physical activity. In fact, obese children usually want to lose the weight, but their lives at home or school may not support their desire. Schools have actually been observed as a main site for watching the change of rate in childhood obesity (Davis 161). In 2001, only half of the students participated in some kind of physical activity in school classes (Hughes 74). Studies have made recommendations to increase this support like making physical activity mandatory at school, implementing family fitness programs that the children enjoy, and families or schools getting help from a nutritionist who is sensitive to their culture and knows what types of food they are exposed to (Davis 162). Having a nutritionist who is culturally sensitive is helpful because food choices vary among culture and race. Due to the lack of physical activity in these schools, some states are trying to make it lawful for a school to require some type of physical activity. For example, Mississippi signed The Mississippi Healthy Students Act in 2007 that made it necessary for high school students to complete one semester of physical education during their four years present at the school they attended. Tennessee also came up with an act, the Coordinated School Health Extension Act, in 2006 that made it necessary for students of all grades to participate in at least ninety minutes of physical activity during each school week (Ferry 1407). Implementing this physical activity does not only prevent the children from being obese, but it often prevents cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes (Metz 136.) These acts may not have been as successful, but that is mainly because in most schools, the acts are being avoided (Ferry 1408). Also, although there have been bigger portions of fast food, more variety in fast food, and more availability of fast food to children, there has also been healthy foods implemented in fast food children’s meals like fruit and vegetable options (Metz 135). The states have not made the accomplishments they intended on, but they are at least trying to make a difference in one place where obesity is majorly present, and that is children attending school.
Not only does school have an effect on children, but also the family structure of a child has can affect the child’s likelihood of obesity. Having siblings opens up more opportunities for a child to engage in physical activity. Without siblings, a child is more likely to engage in activities that can be done by one’s self like watching television (Moreno 162). Parents who work outside of the home play a big role as well. When parents work outside of the home, children are more likely to eat meals that are convenient to them, with most of them being packaged meals, which basically are all high in calories and sugar. These diet habits that persist in a home where parents work outside of the home can have a much bigger effect than we think. For another example, if a child intakes 200 more calories a day than the average child, he or she can gain up to a half of a pound more a week, which leads to a twenty-six pound weight gain over a year (Hughes 74). Even things that we do not think are of much importance can affect childhood obesity. For example, lack of sleep greatly correlates with obesity. Children who sleep less than eight hours a night are three times more at risk of being obese than children who get a full night’s sleep (Metz 138). This is why it is important to do much more observant studies on obesity.
Figuring out what the main causes are of childhood obesity so obesity is able to be prevented and treating childhood obesity has become a top public health concern because childhood and adolescent obesity almost always lead into adulthood obesity causing major problems.
In fact one study that was done in a mainly White population found that out of the population’s children who were ten to fifteen years old, 80% of them were obese by twenty-five, and the rate of children not getting enough sleep is increasing; however, childhood obesity can be studied in an even smaller
category.
Looking into an even smaller category with these children, race, ethnicity, and culture are all also important factors to observe when studying childhood obesity. Obesity is a national problem and does occur in every race, but the factors causing the obesity between races vary greatly. Culture strongly influences obesity, and it has been reported one of the hardest issues to resolve when dealing with childhood and adolescent obesity (Hughes 74). It is hard to determine the exact correlation between culture and race and obesity, but there is one relationship that is obvious that a correlation exists, and that can be seen when social norms for body image are observed. For example, the ideal body image for non-Hispanic Black females is much greater in size than the ideal image for non-Hispanic White females. This is most likely due to the fact that most non-Hispanic Black males prefer larger sized females, while most non-Hispanic White males do not share that preference (Wang 1572). The body image differences between cultures is easily seen when the fact that African American females from ages ten to eleven have the highest percentage of obesity is observed (Wilson 46).
There are multiple causes of this high obesity rate in African-Americans. In the African-American culture, children’s favorite foods tend to always be fried with their favorite desserts being things like cake and ice cream. Also, these African American children do not have much physical activity set out for them. When asked their favorite activities, they all consisted of watching television and playing video games. Very few children mentioned anything about playing outside (Davis 161). These factors are most common in states with a high African-American population, such as Mississippi. Nearly two thirds of Mississippi’s population is African-American (Hughes 76).
The African American adolescents in Mississippi have the highest rate of obesity with one in every three being obese or at risk of being obese (Hughes 72). There are multiple solutions that could be used for the high obesity rate. Correcting these children in their behavior, lessening calorie intake, increasing physical activity, and increasing the importance of education are all things that need to be done in order to decrease the obesity rates in the African-American adolescents in Mississippi. Another important factor is the poverty among African-Americans in Mississippi. With the median income only being twenty thousand dollars for these families, health care is very hard to get access to. In places in Mississippi where obesity is even more amplified, like the Delta, there is also a lack of grocery stores. With the lack of grocery stores, the parents are unable to get things like fresh produce in order to provide a healthy diet for their children. Looking back at the subject of school, there are hardly any schools with a mandatory physical education class, and very few projects have been plotted to increase the physical activity. Without any changes made to implement new diets and the lack of physical activity in places like the Mississippi Delta, the issue of African-American adolescent obesity will remain the same (Hughes 76), and not only is obesity unhealthy for their lives, but if the trends continue, it will cost the US a mass amount of money with expenses in health care (Gamble 478). Of course there are the obvious main factors in what causes obesity such as bad nutrition and lack of exercise; however, that is not the argument. People believe that the causes are the same amongst everyone. They believe things like African-Americans have the same obesity issues as Hispanics and Whites have the same issues as Asians. To really study obesity and determine the causes of obesity, one must break down obesity into categories. For example, with African-Americans, a person must look at the culture of this race and see that some of the food choices that they were raised up around are a little different than other cultures, and they happen to be a lot worse for you such as fried chicken, but then you look at middle class white families whose parents may work outside of the home; their causes of obesity could be from their parents not being around until sometimes after dinner time because of their job. Their parents are not around to cook them well-balanced meals, so they eat what is most convenient to them, like packaged food, which may be harmful to their bodies. Also age must be greatly determined because the environment around different ages varies, and the things that surround people in their environments are what most greatly affect obesity. The main problem with studying obesity is not determining the factors but breaking down society into different categories so that the main factors for each category can be seen and taken care of.
Works Cited
DAVIS, SHEILA P., and MELVIN DAVIS. "A Focus Group Study Of African-American Obese Children In Mississippi." Journal Of Cultural Diversity 15.4 (2008): 158-162. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Hugh Ferry, et al. "Implementing Childhood Obesity Policy In A New Educational Environment: The Cases Of Mississippi And Tennessee." American Journal Of Public Health 102.7 (2012): 1406-1413. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Fletcher, Audwin, Janet R. Cooper, Pamela Helms, LaDonna Northington, and Karen Winters. “Stemming the Tide of Childhood Obesity in an Undeserved African American Population: A Pilot Study.” (2009): 44-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Deborah S. King, et al. "Body Weight Status, Dietary Habits, And Physical Activity Levels Of Middle School-Aged Children In Rural Mississippi." Southern Medical Journal 97.6 (2004): 571-577. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Hughes, Gail D., Gloria A. Areghan, and Bern 'Nadette Knight. "Obesity And The African-American Adolescent In Mississippi: An Overview." Southern Medical Journal 98.1 (2005): 72-78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Gamble, Abigail; Waddell, Dwight; Ford, M. Allison; Bentley, John P.; Woodyard, Catherine D.; Hallam, Jeffrey S. “Obesity and Health Risk of Children of Children in the Mississippi Delta.” Journal of School Health. Oct2012, Vol. 82 Issue 10, p478-483
Spruijt-Metz, Donna. "Etiology, Treatment, And Prevention Of Obesity In Childhood And Adolescence: A Decade In Review." Journal Of Research On Adolescence (Blackwell Publishing Limited) 21.1 (2011): 129-152. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
MORENO, GERALDINE; JOHNSON-SHELTON, DEB; BOLES, SHAWN. “Prevalence and Prediction of Overweight and Obesity Among Elementary School Students.” Journal of School Health. Mar2013, Vol. 83 Issue 3, p157-163.
Youfa Wang, et al. "Race, Place, And Obesity: The Complex Relationships Among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, And Obesity In The United States." American Journal Of Public Health 102.8 (2012): 1572-1578. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Astrid H. Wilson, et al. "Overweight And Obesity Among White, Black, And Mexican American Children: Implications For When To Intervene." Journal For Specialists In Pediatric Nursing 17.1 (2012): 41-50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Obesity is a serious problem in America. It is a much bigger problem than people perceive. In fact, over a third of the nation’s population is obese. Being obese and being overweight is not the same thing, although they are often perceived as being the same. Being overweight means that a person weighs too much in comparison with their height; however, obesity is observed by the amount of body fat a person has (Winters 44). Americans perceive being obese the same way they perceive being overweight; they see both as simply being a cosmetic problem that can be fixed with the right nutrition and diet (Hughes 72). This may be true for people that are overweight; however obesity is a very serious health problem whose solution must be further studied. In fact, the rate of obesity has raised so much over the past decades, it is considered to be one of America’s biggest health problems (Wang 1572). For one to solve the health problem of obesity, he or she must not assume that the solution of obesity for everyone is diet and exercise, but they must look further into obesity in race and age to determine the real factors. For one to begin to find the solution of obesity, it is necessary to observe obesity in children. Obesity in children is most often defined by an excess amount of body fat (Metz 129). It is obvious that childhood is the most common age group affected by …show more content…
obesity, considering over twenty-three million American children and adolescents are obese. Also, the amount of overweight adolescents is greater in the United States than any other Western country (Hughes 72). Being obese does not only cause health problems in their childhood, but it is the ultimate cause in problems that will develop later on in life such as hypertension, high cholesterol, breathing and orthopedic problems, depression, and type two diabetes. Also, children who are obese are more likely to develop sleep disorders and gall bladder and cardiovascular diseases during adulthood (King 571).
One way to observe how obesity is affecting childhood is to study past generations. Children today are spending so much less time than their parents and grandparents engaging in simple physical activity such as playing outside. There are also many more opportunities for children to get involved in bad diets, considering the fast food and unhealthy snack choices in vending machines made easily attainable to children. (Green 915). It is not that children choose this lifestyle; their home life is what causes this bad diet and lack of physical activity. In fact, obese children usually want to lose the weight, but their lives at home or school may not support their desire. Schools have actually been observed as a main site for watching the change of rate in childhood obesity (Davis 161). In 2001, only half of the students participated in some kind of physical activity in school classes (Hughes 74). Studies have made recommendations to increase this support like making physical activity mandatory at school, implementing family fitness programs that the children enjoy, and families or schools getting help from a nutritionist who is sensitive to their culture and knows what types of food they are exposed to (Davis 162). Having a nutritionist who is culturally sensitive is helpful because food choices vary among culture and race. Due to the lack of physical activity in these schools, some states are trying to make it lawful for a school to require some type of physical activity. For example, Mississippi signed The Mississippi Healthy Students Act in 2007 that made it necessary for high school students to complete one semester of physical education during their four years present at the school they attended. Tennessee also came up with an act, the Coordinated School Health Extension Act, in 2006 that made it necessary for students of all grades to participate in at least ninety minutes of physical activity during each school week (Ferry 1407). Implementing this physical activity does not only prevent the children from being obese, but it often prevents cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes (Metz 136.) These acts may not have been as successful, but that is mainly because in most schools, the acts are being avoided (Ferry 1408). Also, although there have been bigger portions of fast food, more variety in fast food, and more availability of fast food to children, there has also been healthy foods implemented in fast food children’s meals like fruit and vegetable options (Metz 135). The states have not made the accomplishments they intended on, but they are at least trying to make a difference in one place where obesity is majorly present, and that is children attending school.
Not only does school have an effect on children, but also the family structure of a child has can affect the child’s likelihood of obesity. Having siblings opens up more opportunities for a child to engage in physical activity. Without siblings, a child is more likely to engage in activities that can be done by one’s self like watching television (Moreno 162). Parents who work outside of the home play a big role as well. When parents work outside of the home, children are more likely to eat meals that are convenient to them, with most of them being packaged meals, which basically are all high in calories and sugar. These diet habits that persist in a home where parents work outside of the home can have a much bigger effect than we think. For another example, if a child intakes 200 more calories a day than the average child, he or she can gain up to a half of a pound more a week, which leads to a twenty-six pound weight gain over a year (Hughes 74). Even things that we do not think are of much importance can affect childhood obesity. For example, lack of sleep greatly correlates with obesity. Children who sleep less than eight hours a night are three times more at risk of being obese than children who get a full night’s sleep (Metz 138). This is why it is important to do much more observant studies on obesity.
Figuring out what the main causes are of childhood obesity so obesity is able to be prevented and treating childhood obesity has become a top public health concern because childhood and adolescent obesity almost always lead into adulthood obesity causing major problems.
In fact one study that was done in a mainly White population found that out of the population’s children who were ten to fifteen years old, 80% of them were obese by twenty-five, and the rate of children not getting enough sleep is increasing; however, childhood obesity can be studied in an even smaller
category.
Looking into an even smaller category with these children, race, ethnicity, and culture are all also important factors to observe when studying childhood obesity. Obesity is a national problem and does occur in every race, but the factors causing the obesity between races vary greatly. Culture strongly influences obesity, and it has been reported one of the hardest issues to resolve when dealing with childhood and adolescent obesity (Hughes 74). It is hard to determine the exact correlation between culture and race and obesity, but there is one relationship that is obvious that a correlation exists, and that can be seen when social norms for body image are observed. For example, the ideal body image for non-Hispanic Black females is much greater in size than the ideal image for non-Hispanic White females. This is most likely due to the fact that most non-Hispanic Black males prefer larger sized females, while most non-Hispanic White males do not share that preference (Wang 1572). The body image differences between cultures is easily seen when the fact that African American females from ages ten to eleven have the highest percentage of obesity is observed (Wilson 46).
There are multiple causes of this high obesity rate in African-Americans. In the African-American culture, children’s favorite foods tend to always be fried with their favorite desserts being things like cake and ice cream. Also, these African American children do not have much physical activity set out for them. When asked their favorite activities, they all consisted of watching television and playing video games. Very few children mentioned anything about playing outside (Davis 161). These factors are most common in states with a high African-American population, such as Mississippi. Nearly two thirds of Mississippi’s population is African-American (Hughes 76).
The African American adolescents in Mississippi have the highest rate of obesity with one in every three being obese or at risk of being obese (Hughes 72). There are multiple solutions that could be used for the high obesity rate. Correcting these children in their behavior, lessening calorie intake, increasing physical activity, and increasing the importance of education are all things that need to be done in order to decrease the obesity rates in the African-American adolescents in Mississippi. Another important factor is the poverty among African-Americans in Mississippi. With the median income only being twenty thousand dollars for these families, health care is very hard to get access to. In places in Mississippi where obesity is even more amplified, like the Delta, there is also a lack of grocery stores. With the lack of grocery stores, the parents are unable to get things like fresh produce in order to provide a healthy diet for their children. Looking back at the subject of school, there are hardly any schools with a mandatory physical education class, and very few projects have been plotted to increase the physical activity. Without any changes made to implement new diets and the lack of physical activity in places like the Mississippi Delta, the issue of African-American adolescent obesity will remain the same (Hughes 76), and not only is obesity unhealthy for their lives, but if the trends continue, it will cost the US a mass amount of money with expenses in health care (Gamble 478). Of course there are the obvious main factors in what causes obesity such as bad nutrition and lack of exercise; however, that is not the argument. People believe that the causes are the same amongst everyone. They believe things like African-Americans have the same obesity issues as Hispanics and Whites have the same issues as Asians. To really study obesity and determine the causes of obesity, one must break down obesity into categories. For example, with African-Americans, a person must look at the culture of this race and see that some of the food choices that they were raised up around are a little different than other cultures, and they happen to be a lot worse for you such as fried chicken, but then you look at middle class white families whose parents may work outside of the home; their causes of obesity could be from their parents not being around until sometimes after dinner time because of their job. Their parents are not around to cook them well-balanced meals, so they eat what is most convenient to them, like packaged food, which may be harmful to their bodies. Also age must be greatly determined because the environment around different ages varies, and the things that surround people in their environments are what most greatly affect obesity. The main problem with studying obesity is not determining the factors but breaking down society into different categories so that the main factors for each category can be seen and taken care of.
Works Cited
DAVIS, SHEILA P., and MELVIN DAVIS. "A Focus Group Study Of African-American Obese Children In Mississippi." Journal Of Cultural Diversity 15.4 (2008): 158-162. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Hugh Ferry, et al. "Implementing Childhood Obesity Policy In A New Educational Environment: The Cases Of Mississippi And Tennessee." American Journal Of Public Health 102.7 (2012): 1406-1413. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Fletcher, Audwin, Janet R. Cooper, Pamela Helms, LaDonna Northington, and Karen Winters. “Stemming the Tide of Childhood Obesity in an Undeserved African American Population: A Pilot Study.” (2009): 44-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Deborah S. King, et al. "Body Weight Status, Dietary Habits, And Physical Activity Levels Of Middle School-Aged Children In Rural Mississippi." Southern Medical Journal 97.6 (2004): 571-577. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Hughes, Gail D., Gloria A. Areghan, and Bern 'Nadette Knight. "Obesity And The African-American Adolescent In Mississippi: An Overview." Southern Medical Journal 98.1 (2005): 72-78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Gamble, Abigail; Waddell, Dwight; Ford, M. Allison; Bentley, John P.; Woodyard, Catherine D.; Hallam, Jeffrey S. “Obesity and Health Risk of Children of Children in the Mississippi Delta.” Journal of School Health. Oct2012, Vol. 82 Issue 10, p478-483
Spruijt-Metz, Donna. "Etiology, Treatment, And Prevention Of Obesity In Childhood And Adolescence: A Decade In Review." Journal Of Research On Adolescence (Blackwell Publishing Limited) 21.1 (2011): 129-152. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
MORENO, GERALDINE; JOHNSON-SHELTON, DEB; BOLES, SHAWN. “Prevalence and Prediction of Overweight and Obesity Among Elementary School Students.” Journal of School Health. Mar2013, Vol. 83 Issue 3, p157-163.
Youfa Wang, et al. "Race, Place, And Obesity: The Complex Relationships Among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, And Obesity In The United States." American Journal Of Public Health 102.8 (2012): 1572-1578. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Astrid H. Wilson, et al. "Overweight And Obesity Among White, Black, And Mexican American Children: Implications For When To Intervene." Journal For Specialists In Pediatric Nursing 17.1 (2012): 41-50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.