Childhood Obesity in the United States Visit any public park or any school playground and you are sure to find young children that are well above the national recommended weight for their age. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. People are generally considered obese by measurement of their body mass index (BMI), a measurement calculated by dividing a child’s weight in kilograms by his or her height in meters squared. In the United States, the rate of childhood obesity has been on a high rise over the past few decades. The United States is known to have some of the most cases of childhood obesity. It has come to be noted that one out of six children …show more content…
Children who are obese often consume a greater quantity of food and the quality of food is often high in caloric content. They often have elevated food portion sizes, increased fat intake and eat fewer fruits and vegetables from an early age compared to normal weight children of the same age. It is well known that a large number of children with pediatric obesity have parents who are obese too. Obese parents contribute to specific food environments being created from an early age. There is an exposure to high-fat foods from an early age with an orienting towards fatty food from the toddler years. Shopping patterns with high caloric food that is often stocked up at home serves as easy access to these food stuffs and weight gain ensues. Food orientation is determined in some ways when food serves a reward for desired behavior. This is often done by parents in their behavioral training of the child from his toddler years who seems to derive pleasure from food. There is thus a greater desire for food and eating is looked forward to. …show more content…
This pain can make it more difficult to move around which causes less exercise, ironically making it more difficult to lose weight. A greater amount of body fat means higher levels of substances in the blood that cause inflammation. Studies have shown that childhood diabetes can be linked with obesity. As stated in “Secular Trends in New Childhood Epidemics: Insights From Evolutionary Medicine” written by Martin Brune and Ze’ev Hochberg which reads “According to a Finnish study, the incidence of type 1 diabetes among children younger than 15 years has increased from 12 per 100,000 in the early 1950s to 65 per 100,000 in 2006.” Metabolic syndrome isn't a disease itself, but a cluster of conditions that can put children at risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or other health problems. This cluster of conditions includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL ("good") cholesterol and excess abdominal fat. Children can develop high blood pressure or high cholesterol if he or she eats a poor diet. These factors can contribute to the buildup of plaques in the arteries. These plaques can cause arteries to narrow and harden, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke later in life. Children who are overweight or obese may be more likely to have asthma. Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which a child's breathing repeatedly stops and starts
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, children’s physical activity and kid’s nutrition in a school and home, food industry and etc.
CDC talks about the immediate health effects happening to children and adolescents. For those who are obese are at a risk for bone and joint problems, inability to breathe, social, and poor low self-esteem. Approximately, 5-17 year olds, 70% of obese youth is at a high risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Obese adolescents are more likely to carry a condition called pre-diabetes, which is a development of high blood glucose that becomes diabetes. The long-term health effects of obese children and adolescents are at more risk to obtain adult health problems. The conditions of adult health problems are much worse conditions that connect to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer, arthritis, and stroke. Those who struggle with being overweight or obesity combines the risk of having cancer with the internal organs like the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, pancreas and many more.
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.
This article from CDC talk about the basics about childhood obesity. It provides information on how childhood overweight and obesity is measured by calculating an individual’s body mass index (BMI). It also states some consequences that are related to childhood obesity, both consequences that can happen now and later...
A child who is obese is automatically more likely to be exposed to a variety of health hazards throughout his or her life. It is estimated that “15 percent of children between six and nineteen suffer from obesity” (Lee and Sprague). A person who is deemed obese, is someone who has “a body fat percentage of more than 25 percent in boys and 32 percent in girls” (Lee and Sprague). Being severely overweight exposes you to more diseases than someone who is not overweight. Obese people “are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes . . . [from] being overweight” (Lee and Sprague). Some health issues, such as hypertension, heart attacks, and cancer can be obtained from being obese. There is also a great risk of “heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other chronic illnesses” when you are obese (“Hope”). high cholesterol as well as high blood pressure. Being obes...
It is apparent that living an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as eating poorly, negatively affects one’s health. From a young age it is quickly learned which foods are considered healthful as opposed to junk food. It is a parents responsibility to supervise the intake of their child's food, however there is a higher risk than ever before of childhood obesity.
“In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” (CDC) Childhood obesity is a problem that has inundated society for many decades. Almost anywhere that you go, you’ll see a magazine article or some sort of poster regarding childhood obesity. Childhood obesity can be defined as a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child’s health or well-being. Majority of adults care about their weight because self-image is a very important factor in their lives, but when it comes down to children, many pay their weight a very minimal amount of attention. Due to the superfluous rise in the number of obese children over the past couple of decades, doctors and physicians have become concerned about this trend. This concern is raised by the various diseases and health issues accompanying childhood obesity. Childhood obesity puts children at a greater risk for developing health issues and diseases of the heart.
Obesity in extreme cases can increase. By, “Being overweight increases a child's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other health concerns.” (Nall). Diabetes is a serious condition, and if not treated correctly, can result in death. People have to remember to take care of themselves.
Obesity is a modern epidemic in America and is starting to become our society’s “norm.” According to an article in Progress in Health Sciences, childhood obesity is the most frequent eating disorder (Koukourikos). There are several factors that contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Should we solely shun the parents of obese children for this? No, we should not. There is not one single person to blame, but several people, along with our society. Family, friends, and schools all play a very important role in teaching children about healthy food choices and exercise. Children may have a greater risk for obesity due to genetic factors. We need to constantly remind our children how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that
Obesity is a very common disease in America. An estimated one third or 12.5 million of children in the United States are overweight or obese. Out of this number an estimated four to six percent of children and teens are severely obese. Children are determined to be overweight or obese based on where they are on the body mass index (BMI) growth charts. Children that are in the 85th to 95th percentile are considered to be overweight. Children that are above the 95th percentile are considered obese. Doctors are advised to calculate their patients BMI and weight-to-height ratio at least once a year. If they find that their patient is overweight or obese, they are typically help to create an exercise plan, tell their patient to moderately cut back on calories, and send them to health counseling. The side effects that go along...
According to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey says that, 16 percent of children around the ages of 6-19 years old are at risk of being obese. Obesity has increased in the last twenty years now. Obesity is like other disease, it impairs the normal body functioning. Children who are overweight have excess fat tissue that caus...
Parents are not teaching children how to eat healthy. They feed them cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. Kids are not being exposed to a regular diet of health fruits and vegetables. Now some people are just naturally overweight, but being “overweight” is not the same as being “obese.” Someone who is overweight has reached a maximum weight limit for their height. When someone goes beyond this maximum limit, then they are considered “obese” (Kiess 1). Research shows that “obesity is generally defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue” (Kiess 1). The increase in childhood obesity today is mainly the fault of the parent because they are unable to tell their children “no” when it comes to junk food (Kiess 104). Parents are the one buying all the food that comes into the house. They are the ones buying the sugary drinks and chips. They are the ones allowing the children to “have what they want.” Because parents are not teaching their children how to eat healthy, we will continue to see childhood obesity increase. Unfortunately, overweight children will be the ones who suffer because statistics show children who are overweight are more likely to become obes...
It causes heart diseases from high cholesterol and high blood pressure, asthma, and type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions. Obese children can have weight related health problems all the way into adulthood. This is something we need to resolve not only does it because physical pains but also psychological issues. Obese children tend to have low self-esteem and other social problems because of their weight. This is caused from the discrimination that overweight children and adults can face in their life.
NUTRITION: Middle Childhood (6-11 yr. olds) “Eating an evening meal with parents leads to a diet higher in fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk products , and lower in soft drinks and fast foods” (Berk, pg. 227). Children at this stage of life need a well-balanced diet to provide energy for learning development and physical activities (Berk, pg. 227). Obesity is caused by lack of knowledge of what healthy foods to buy, food high in fats being low-cost, and family stress which can cause overeating (Berk, pg. 229).
Obesity simply put, is an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity puts children at increased risk of disease and other health-related problems. Childhood obesity is a very serious and ongoing problem-putting children on the pathway to health conditions earlier in their life such as diabetes, elevated cholesterol, hypertension. Childhood obesity also has a link to depression as well as affects the self-esteem of children and adolescent. I recently performed a community teaching on childhood obesity and will be discussing the teaching experience, observation, summary of the teaching plan, epidemiological rationale for childhood obesity, evaluation of my teaching and the community’s response to the teaching.