Childhood obesity is a complicated topic and is complicated to pinpoint what the exact cause is, some of the major factors that contribute to childhood obesity are lack of exercise in their daily lives, poor nutrition, and eating habits; and lack of education among parents to safely help their children live a healthier life.
Childhood obesity poses a serious threat to the health of our nation, children these days have little to none outdoors activities. Lack of physical activity found to be a significant factor in contributing to childhood obesity. It is very probable that the only outdoors activity that children have now is a P.E. class at school if the school offers it. It doesn’t help that most schools in the United States have had physical activities and recess programs removed from the school. In the article Physical activity and childhood obesity: strategies and solutions for schools and parents the author states, “During active class time, physical educators can look to the teachable moment in which they can talk to an entire class concerning individual differences. Just as the teaching of good sportsmanship should be an essential component of all elementary physical education programs, the recognition of obese and overweight children should be taught so that children become sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others”.
The most likely scenario is that after school kids come home they sit down to watch TV, have lunch then they go back to the TV and perhaps play some video games, they snack on chips and sugary drinks. Then they move on to do their homework eat some more and lastly they go to bed. This is a repetitive cycle for most families because the parents are at work or have other thing going on that can’t d...
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...r Healthy Living 6th. Ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013. An Ascend Learning Company
Moerdyk, Chris. "Advertising Alone Cannot Be Blamed for Childhood Obesity." Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
"Diet, Nutrition, and Weight Issues among Children and Adolescents." Barbara Wexler. 2008 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
McEvoy, Victoria. "Doctors Cannot Take Full Responsibility for Obesity." Obesity. Scott Barbour. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Zive, Michelle Murphy. "Parents Should Play a Role in Fighting Childhood Obesity." Obesity. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
"The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity." The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity. Web. 06 May 2012.
In the documentary Killer at Large, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona remarked that “Obesity is a terror within. It’s destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out…” Carmona is indeed right, with the rapid increase of obese children, America is on the fast track to producing a generation with a life expectancy shorter than their peers. One of the main factor is the media representation of obesity (Greenstreet 2008). In today’s society parents are not only worrying about televisions influence on their kid’s behavior but their weight and health, too. According to study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, that researched the role of media in childhood obesity, stated the obesity increased by 2% for every hours of television in adolescent’s ages 12 to 17. The advertisement of food and beverages present a very strong influence on the children. Most of the products being advert...
Many children who are obese are the targets of bullying from other children. Self-esteem can be greatly damaged from a disease that can be prevented. Having an obese or once obese person tell the stories of struggle, difficulties and how life is greatly impacted by not eating right and exercising could have a great influence on just how serious obesity is. In the academic journal, “Childhood obesity and Self-Esteem”, has found that there are social and emotional effects from childhood obesity. Other than just low self-esteem, obesity can lead to “Smoking and consuming alcohol” (Strauss 3) compared to children who are not obese. Preventing obesity could also decrease the rate of smoking and drinking in children underage. The more than one solution to how this can be done, for parents and students, for schools “Replacing vending machines containing unhealthy foods and drinks and replace with healthy items” (Green 4). This has been increasing in many schools and even colleges; Montgomery College has also taken the steps of changing the vending machine. Another resolution for schools is to “Provide quality daily physical education for all students. Be sure to select activities that are fun, challenging, and aerobic in nature” (Green
other hand, obesity accounts for about 13 percent of children in the United States, which is why physical education programs should be one of the last things to go. They also help students release the stress they have built up through out the day and teach them the ...
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.
Childhood obesity has become a huge problem in the United States. Over twenty one percent of African American children are obese, not including the twenty percent who were just overweight. Studies show that the increase in Type II diabetes, which is caused by obesity has increased dramatically in children of African American culture. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) The hospital costs associated with childhood obesity were 127 million dollars from 1997-1999, increasing $92 million from 1979-1981. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) However, long term effects are also a concern for adolescent obesity. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of being obese or overweight adults, which increases to 80 percen...
After reading and completing the assessment at the end of Chapter One, the author realizes that wellness has not been as much of a priority for herself and her family as it should be. The author sees areas where good techniques are being applied to teach her children to achieve wellness. She also sees areas where improvements need to be made. She teaches her family good hygiene, in a loving nurturing environment. She also buys healthy snacks such as fruit, low fat cheese, skim milk, and yogurt. However, she also buys some cookies and chips. These items are not good snack foods. She realizes that ...
Some of the causes of childhood obesity are greater availability of unhealthy foods, little to no daily exercise, No safe place in many communities to play or be active. Plus companies are coming together to make their food be able to be more visualized and make people want to buy their food. Also it becomes harder to jump, hop, or even stand on one leg and they will become more clumsy. More affects of being obese are Blount’s Disease, Flat Feet, Diabetes, and Asthma. Blount’s Disease is where a growth disorder in the lower leg cause it to go inward, Flat Feet is where one’s feet has no arch which makes it painful to walk long distance, Diabetes is a inability to produce any or enough insulin. Childhood Obesity has become an huge issue around the world, in the last 30 years it has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. The percent of children obese in 1980 was 7% now it is about 18 %. Scientist have predicted that if this continue nearly 9% of all preschoolers will be obese now that is nearly 60 million children. Obesity is more prevalent in lower income families this statistic is just for kids aged 2 - 5. Obesity rates are higher in adults than kids but in the U.S., Brazil, China, and others places they see the problem more in kids than
2. Glanz, Karen (2008). Health Behavior and Health Education, 4th Edition; San Fransisco, Ca, John Wiley and Sons INC
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
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
Ruskin, Gary. “The Fast Food Trap: How Commercialism Creates Overweight Children.” Commercialalert.org. Commercial Alert, 31 Oct. 2003. Web. 8 May 2011.
Childhood obesity has recently become a major problem not only in the Unites States, but all around the world. No one knows the real reason as to why childhood obesity has recently become a major epidemic, but it has been found that the environment that the children live in plays a factor in the child’s weight status. Not only that but, some people believe that fast food and their million dollar industries is the reasons why so many children are obese. Whereas others have found that it all relies on their parents, that they, the parents, are the reason why their children are the way they are. Some even say that it’s the school’s fault because they do not teach the children how to live a healthy lifestyle. Whatever it is, it need to be fixed so that we can have a healthier America. At the same time that I believe that the parents play a big role in the weight status of their children, I also believe that schools play a factor in the recent outbreak of childhood obesity.
Whitman, Nate. "Physical Activity in Schools Is Essential to Reversing Childhood Obesity." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Beales III, J. Howard, and Robert Kulick. Does Advertising On Television Cause Childhood Obesity? A Longitudinal Analysis. Journal Of Public Policy & Marketing 32.2 (2013): 185-194. Business Source Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.