Over a half-century ago obesity, and overweight has become a silent monster that creeps from within. Americans have been preoccupied in the last fifty years with countless numbers of problems that it seems that we have forgotten about our very own waistline. But, what is the difference between overweight and obesity? According to the Center for Disease for Control and Prevention overweight means that a person has a body mass index or BMI between 25 through 29 and anything higher than a 30 is consider obese. In 2009 and 2010 the CDC stated that, “more than 35% of U.S. men and women were obese…”(Carroll, Flegal, Kit, Ogden p.2). The obesity epidemic has reached 1/3 of the United States adult population; as a result many have considered that the only way to manage this epidemic is by implying a fat tax. This tax will target people who fit a specific profile, if they tip the scale they must pay. But the weight is not only targeted at adults, obesity has targeted the most vulnerable people of our society, our children. According to the CDC obesity and overweight affects “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19…”(p.1.) One day this generation of children will be adults and they should not be paying a tax because of their weight. Drastic measures need to be taken to treat childhood obesity and avoid a fat tax.
Food consumption is a common body function that everybody must fulfill. But why do we eat? According to Levine and Billington, the authors of “Why do we eat? A Neural Systems Approach,” we “eat for a variety of reasons, including energy needs, time of day, social setting, stress, boredom, palatability/reward, and food availability at little or no cost. Historically, studies of energy metabolism have focused ...
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...Sabrina Morrison a RN points out that, “teasing or negative verbal feedback is a risk factor for the development of body dissatisfaction and eating disturbances such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorders (Lunner et al., 2000)” (p. 203.) According to Morrison being bullied and teased will cause a child to develop bulimia, or anorexia. It is not a unknown fact that in severe cases where the persecution comes to such a cases that many children think of “…suicidal ideation and attempts associated with weight-biased teasing were two to three times higher among those teased then their nonteased peers. (Eisenberg et al., 2003)” (p. 203.) Sadly children are having suicidal thoughts because of their weight and how much they are bullied at school. However, many think that the obesity and overweight epidemic is a “problem” that has been overrated and exaggerated.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discuss about childhood obesity. With CDC, this research is very useful in helping others understand what overweight and obesity is. Having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, bone, muscle, water, or a combination of all is being overweight. Obesity is just having excess body fat. It states about obesity occurring to children and adolescents that has passed since 30 years. The first stage of this phenomenon starts as a person being overweight which will lead to obesity. More than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. The result for both of these terms is a caloric-imbalance which is an amount of too few calories that is consumed and is affected by many genetics, behavioral, and environmental factors. From this source CDC gives a specific estimate percentage of children aged 6–11 years that is more overly obese. In the United States in 1980 who were obese increased from 7% to nearly 18% in 2012. Furthermore over the same period, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21%. Additionally, there is a list of health effects of childhood obesity and inform immediate and long-term health effects. Tips are also included here to prevent any other health problems relating to obesity. It does not clearly teach every step of how to prevent it, but giving out ideas on how to solve the problem yourself.
Obesity in children across America has become an increasing public health concern. Obesity has been identified as an epidemic that is plaguing our children in the United States. In some countries around the world children are dying of starvation everyday. How can this happen when here in America the opposite is a major problem? This is not to say that in America there are no hungry or starving children. It has been proven that our children suffer from obesity, and “children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are five times as likely as normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults” (“Hope”). Obesity not only can cause a child to become more prone to having health problems down the road, but it can also make them feel insecure about themselves. There needs to be action taken in schools as well as in homes to help prevent this growing epidemic.
The overall rate of obesity for children comes in at 17 percent, or about 12.5 million obese children in America today (Doheny 1). The number of children who are obese is growing at a fast rate. Most cases of childhood obesity are caused by eating too much and exercising too little. Extra weight puts children at a risk of serious health problems; such as, diabetes, heart disease, and asthma (Smith 1). Although obesity can be prevented, it has become a growing problem among children due to several factors that lead to health problems.
In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.
The human body requires the intake of food in order to function properly. The foods that we decide to eat has an effect on the ability to use are mind, are strength, and even how prone we are to getting sick or hurt. Eating to much of the wrong foods, with little or no exercise can cause the silent but deadly epidemic of obesity in children and in teens. In the past, obesity was just known as a condition that only affected adults. In this generation the youths are becoming more prone to obesity. In 1995 an average of 18 million children all around the world was categorized as being overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). In a Childhood Obesity Interventions article it says that 17% (12.5 million) of children in the United States is considered to be obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This outrageous number of overweight children in the world is almost tripled in 2010, where 43 million children under 5 are considered to be overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). Another staggering statistic is more than 60% percent of the children that are classified as overweight before they reach puberty, will be overweight as they become adults (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This leads us to the most stifling fact of there being 2.8 million people in the world that die from being overweight or obese each year (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). These shocking statistics show how dangerous obesity really is, and should urge everyone to fight against this epidemic.
There is an alarming rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making it an epidemic in our country. Obesity has become a threat to the health of many children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. 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.(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015)
Ul-Haq, Z., Mackay, D. F., Fenwick, E., Pell, J. P. (2013). Meta-analysis of the association
To help out with my research on childhood obesity I am creating this annotated bibliography. I am researching the health issues related to childhood obesity as well as the long term effects.
Did you know that 35% of the United States population is considered obese? Also, 66% of the population is considered overweight or more? (Saint Onge 2014) Even more frightening, in 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than one third of children and adolescents in America were overweight or obese (CDC 2014). The media sources used investigates the political, scientific, historical, and cultural reasons behind the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is a rapid growing epidemic in America and these sources present the facts causing this epidemic. As well as how the children of the American society are being wrongly influenced by the media, especially advertisments. (Greenstreet 2008).
According to a 2010 report by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years. As well as having an impact on health, studies have cited a relationship between obesity and poor school performance as well as a child’s readiness for learning and education. This can be correlated with studies finding “obese children have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem” (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, para. 2). It has also been documented that obese children miss more days from school than the general student population and “many will lack the energy to sustain the concentration needed to process new information” (Yaussi, 2005, p. 106).
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
Childhood obesity is an increasing problem here in the United States. According to Schuab and Marian (2011) “Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions” (P.553). The prevalence of child obesity and overweight has increased over the last 30 years all over the United States, becoming one of the biggest public health challenges (Moreno, Johnson-Shelton, & Boles, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to give a background of the obesity epidemic, a review of current policy, and make a policy recommendation.
Obesity is affecting many kids in America. Did you know that kids from the age of ten through thirteen are more likely to be obese in the future? This is huge problem in America because overweight children are most likely to get diabetes, cancer, and many more health problems. Kids who are obese also struggle with self confidence and depression. The American food industry should dispose processed food choices because it can lead up to child obesity, bad habits and health problems.
Did you know that more than 35% of America is obese? Do you want to be one of them? Eating many fast food items can cause you to become obese, addicted, and overall unhealthy. Fast Food should be BANNED from schools. Soda can also cause a caffeine addiction, which many people can go through, and eating fast food a lot can cause a fast food addiction. Despite these problems, schools have been serving children fast food in schools and are putting vending machines in the cafeterias to replace much needed staff. So, as childhood obesity continues to grow in the USA, fast food is still being served in schools, and kids are still eating it. So as the Director of Nutrition Services, I know that fast foods are bad for kids due to unhealthy added fats, sugars, and sodiums. They should be removed from school systems in the U.S.
Childhood obesity is slowly becoming more and more of a problem in the United States.