Obesity in America is not new and in many cases, obesity tends to strike younger aged children. Obesity among young children often starts from unhealthy eating habits. What parents put on their children’s plate is significant and essential to their health. It is important to develop healthy eating habits when a child is young so that those skills can stick with them throughout their lifetime. Unfortunately, obesity in America is out of hand and the problem is only getting worse. There are health issues associated with obesity such as cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes. It is important to stop the problem while people are young so that these health risks are limited and not life threatening. For many years, schools have been trying to…
Child obesity became a very serious issue that is taking on the health of the nation 's children. It is everyone responsibility to work on preventing and reducing childhood obesity, from the parents who are suppose to care about their children’s health, to the public health representatives, who should care about a future healthy nation, and everyone in between. Every part of society should create a set of lifestyle changes in order to save our kids from obesity. There are many aspects, which have to be changed or improved, including parent’s nutrition education,…
In today 's society it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day duties of life; people often forget that their eating habits could be the death of them. The children of today are the children of the future, therefore raising them to make healthy eating choices in their childhood could prevent them from becoming part of the 20 percent of children that are obese. Over the past 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled in the United States. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, obesity in children is one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Due to a poor diet and lack of exercise children can run the dangerous risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes which go hand and hand with severely overweight children. Kids who are unhappy with their weight may also be more likely to develop eating disorders. Diagnosing and treating overweight and obesity in children as early as possible may reduce the risk of developing serious medical conditions. In the United States alone, over 300,000 deaths each year can be attributed to this disease (American Academy of Child, 2008). In 2005 a study found that children today may lead shorter lives by two to five years than their parents due to obesity (USA Today, 2011). Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise both at home and in school. Schools are a major cause of child obesity becoming an epidemic and it is time to take a closer look at how childhood obesity and the school system can be directly related. Removing nutrition in school lunches, lack of education toward…
Obesity has a deep impact in the life of a child, physically, and mentally as well. An obese child is at risk of having health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and strokes as an adult, if he or she is not treated in an early age. An overweight child can be a target for bullying at school, making his or her social life poor, creating anxiety, depression, and lowering their self esteem. The parents play an important role in the life of an obese child. does not matter if the child is obese because a genetic factor, or just because his or her does not have a proper eating habit, the condition it is treatable. Encourage the child to follow a healthy diet, being an example for him or her, and being supportive, are examples of how a parent can be involve in the life of an obese child. Taking obesity in a child seriously, and trying to find ways to improve this condition, are the first steps to a better future in an obese child's…
Growing up I enjoyed home cooked meals, and I was very active. My mother always encouraged my brothers and me to go outside and play even on the cold snowing days. In today’s society it is not as easy because in most cases both parents are working so going out to eat and eating already prepared meals from the freezer is a normal routine. Eating habits have changed over the years to unhealthy habits and children are no longer as active due to video games and television. Due to the unhealthy eating habits and inactivity children are becoming obese at a much earlier age than ever before. Not only do unhealthy eating and inactive children have problem with obesity but also some children suffer from psychological issues which can cause weight problems too. When a child suffers from psychological issues he or she hides from the problem. When an individual hides from the psychological issues they often find comfort in food which makes them feel happy.…
Child Obesity Everywhere you look there is a fast food joint. In America it’s all about convenience, but convenience has become hazard to our health. When we as adults have unhealthy eating habit, we hurt ourselves and our children. As a parent it’s important to set good eating habits and be active. There are plenty of statistics available that prove child obesity in America is at epidemic levels. One third of the nation’s children carry to much weight. There are lots of reasons why child obesity in America is on the rise. Doctors say there are two causes in creating obese children. First the children and teens are not eating the right kind of foods. Second, America’s children are getting less and less exercise. These two things are creating…
Childhood obesity is considered to have more than doubled in the past 30 years. There can be many reasons why a child is obese, lack of physical activity and poor nutritional meals are just the first ones that we think of. The lack of exercise and the consumption of unhealthy, fattening and sugary foods, is usually the cause of obesity. In the United States children anywhere from 6 years old to 11 years old has increased form 7% in the 1980s to about 18% in 2012 (Staff). According to the government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors. And Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.” But obesity is not only about the way the child looks, it can cause many short and long term health issues. Some of which can be a great threat to their lives, like…
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal discomforts are some of the many serious health effects that should be the nightmare we all avoid. So why it is that in today’s society we are faced with the alarming fact of half of our population being obese, which are the causative agents to these malicious health problems? It seems as if this is an ongoing problem that may never cease to exist. Why? If the quandary of obesity isn’t realized and address it would not be acknowledged as a problem, therefore it would not be corrected. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95 percentile to children of the same sex and age. Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A child is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. Obesity is rapidly becoming a world wide epidemic, and is starting with our children. Stanford (2001) proposes that the escalation of obesity could be the greatest health threat the world will face in the 21st century. Stanford is highlighting that childhood obesity is a growing health dilemma with a deadly prospect, but who are to blame? In this world today the roles of parents are becoming more demanding than ever before. Our basic knowledge of a parent is one that guides and teaches how to live and survive in this complex world. They are the ones that influence and set out lessons to learn and morals to live by, they are the ones to protect you from harm and detour you from their previous mistakes. Becoming a parent one takes on endless responsibilities and countless blames. However, a parent is only human and can only take full responsibility for certain decisions and behaviors made by…
Supportive environments are those that enable a healthy lifestyle to be attained (Ben-Sefer). In the everyday child’s environment, a major factor of obesity that is commonly overlooked is the amount of physical activity than an individual engages in. This is a major premise that needs to be addressed in our attempts to limit obesity in our next generation. The more time an individual spends in front of the television, the less time that person could spend exercising and burning extra calories. Parents should encourage their children to watch less television and engage in sports or extracurricular activities at school instead. Hyunjae Yu reaffirms this correlation when he states “A sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are both frequently discussed as being among the main causes of childhood obesity in the United States” (Yu). Being one of the main causes of obesity in the United States, parents should support and participate in physical activities with their child to reduce their chance of become obese. This also involves parents giving confidence to their child to remain active and maintain a high self-esteem so that their environment continues supporting a healthy lifestyle. The efforts of parents go a long way, but when the child is outside the family environment it is the responsibility of health workers and…
Obesity is a growing problem and it is prevalent in all ages of society. America is no exception; in fact, America is the leading source of obesity. The obesity problem is tackled by Greg Critser and Mary Ray Worley. In Critser’s article, “Too Much of a Good Thing,” he explains how obesity takes place not only in adults, but also in children. In fact, twenty-five percent of Americans under the age of nineteen are obese. Parents can be held responsible for developing good eating habits for their children. Fixing eating habits during childhood provide a solution for limiting obesity. If bad eating habits are developed at a young age, weight problems can become more predominant later in life.…
Childhood obesity has become a major problem in America. Obesity is a bigger threat in children than it was in the past. Obesity contribute too many of the physical and psychological disorders seem in children. Children are more likely to become overweight adults if they do not practice good eating habits and exercise. Over the past few years, obesity has been increasing at an alarming rate due to technology, unhealthy food choices and lack of physical activity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. “The percentage of children aged 6 to 11 years who were obese in 1980 was 7 percent and by 2012 it had grown to 18 percent. The percentage of adolescents…
Childhood obesity is becoming a big problem in America. In my paper, I will discuss the many ways that parents and healthcare providers can prevent childhood obesity. I will also discuss the study and the research methods used to conduct this research. We will focus on children that are infants all the way to age 12.…
Rising rates of childhood obesity threaten the economic and fiscal health of the nation. Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980 and almost one-third of children over 2 years or age, are already considered overweight and obese. The fundamental reason children suffer from obesity is because the imbalance of calories consumed and calories expended on physical activity. Simultaneous television & video time, advertisement of fast food and poor eating habits, and lack of parental control equals childhood obesity are all validating risk factors for alarmingly high rising health care costs, as well as sociological and physiological development issues in our youth. However, with the development of nutrition and health related programs at home, school, and in our community; we as a community, parents, educators, can get our children back on the right track.…
Child obesity can be stopped by influence schools to give healthier choices throughout the day and the support of parents is also a huge role in curing obesity. According to Karen Appold, there are very simple ways to get more exercise throughout the day including parking farther away from a store and walking the dog instead of letting it out (p.12+). The influence of schools will also help children around the country. Schools can decrease the risk of child obesity by giving healthy lunches, giving kids longer recess, and giving kids more gym classes per week (Karen Appold p.12+). Lastly, parent support is greatly important to prevent or stop the obesity of their children. Parents can give their children support by going on trips that contain lots of exercise, pack healthy homemade lunches on school days, and encourage children to become more active in small ways such as walking to school, biking to friends' houses, or doing chores such as walking the dog or mowing the lawn (Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt et al). There are all sorts of solutions to cure child…
Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but it is one of the hardest conditions to treat. Obesity in society has become worse and worse since time has lead on and this is not just in adults. Children are becoming more obese as time goes on, and we have to blame parents for this. If parents aren’t watching or regulating what their children are eating, it could turn into worse problems for the children down the road. Parents need to show their children more physical activity, help them keep a well-balanced diet, and be aware of health risks when they become an adult.…