While I agree that there has been a great deal of attention given to childhood obesity in the media and by the government. This attention has actually done little on a large scale to actually curb the rise of the issue. I don’t feel this issue is a government issue, however I believe it has become one due to the scale the issue has risen to. Even with all that has been studied on this issue little is actually known regarding the true underlying predictors. (Flores 2013) So considering the scale of the issue we face with the childhood obesity issue I feel that not only does the government at all levels need to be involved in some way but that the U.S. adult population as a whole should be involved in order to help better secure this future generations existence.
This is an problem where, nationwide, we have communities facing how to best make their youths obesity issues diminish as they find ways to make changes regarding how to best facilitate making improvements. (Pratt 2013) Research has shown that many of our nations obese adults had their issues actually created during childhood with documented cases where the deviations from normal adipocyte size have been occurring during children’s first year of age. (Flores 2013) While we know that there is a direct connection between a sedentary lifestyle, eating habits and individuals reduction of physical activities for s variety of reasons. Research is also revealing that there are also more than behavioral issues to contend with as they find genetic and more environmental factors to be involved as well. Due to the seriousness of these issues there is a multi faceted approach that is necessary to combat our nations obesity problems. This needs to be approached with not only with a ...
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Sorg, M. J., Yehle, K. S., Coddington, J. A., & Ahmed, A. H. (2013). Implementing family-based childhood obesity interventions. Nurse Practitioner, 38(9), 14-22. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000433074.22398.e2
Scherr, R. E., Cox, R. J., Feenstra, G., & Zidenberg-Cherr, S. (2013). Integrating local agriculture into nutrition programs can benefit children's health. California Agriculture, 67(1), 30-37. doi:10.3733/ca.v067n01p30
Frerichs, L. M., Araz, O. M., & Huang, T. K. (2013). Modeling Social Transmission Dynamics of Unhealthy Behaviors for Evaluating Prevention and Treatment Interventions on Childhood Obesity. Plos ONE, 8(12), 1-14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082887
RAMÍREZ, R. (2013). PASS THE CHANGE, PLEASE: STYMIEING AMERICA'S CHILDHOOD HEALTH CRISIS WITH LOCAL FOODS IN SCHOOLS. Duke Forum For Law & Social Change (DFLSC), 5129-147.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an individual health promotion for an 8 year old African American female who is in the 95 percentile for weight. Guiding change is a key component that a nurse must display in order to combat childhood obesity (Berkowitz & Borchard, 2009). The health promotion will aim to increase physical activity and enhance the individual’s consumption of nutrient dense food based on Healthy People Guidelines 2010, as well as improve the health literacy for the parent and the individual with regards to childhood obesity. It is essential that the nurse, parent, and child have open communication with mutually agreed upon goals (Caprio et al., 2008). The goals set forth by the nurse, parent, and child are that the attendee participate in at least 60 minutes of sustained aerobic activity 5 days a week for the next 6 months.
Marder, William D. and Stella Chang. “Childhood Obesity: Costs, Treatment Pattern, Disparities in Care, and Prevalent Medical Conditions.” Thomson Medstat Research Brief. Web. 5, September 2011.
I read a statement not too many years ago “According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity “today’s generation of America children will live sicker, grow fatter, and die younger” (2010). To stop and think about what that really says is beyond disconcert. Two years later, this evidence showing little to nothing has improved, is crippling.
Childhood obesity is a consequential medical condition that effects the youth and adolescence of society. This disorder creates health problems that were once only seen in adults, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although childhood obesity is a world wide issue, the percentage of overweight children differs, especially throughout the United States. Today, the greatest population suffering from this disease are African American children who reside in the southern part of the country. Parents, as well as children, continue to support unhealthy lifestyles even though they are well aware of the life-threatening diseases caused by obesity.
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.
In the 21st century childhood obesity is regarded as one of the most serious public health challenges faced by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013). Figures recorded by the National Child Measurement programme for the 2011/12 period showed children aged 10-11, of which 14.7% were overweight and a further 19.2% figure were classed as obese. Statistics from the same report also indicate boys in the same age group are more likely to be obese with a figure of 20.7% compared to a 17.7% figure for girls. These figures are a large cause for concern for both these children and on a wider scale, society. Obesity is caused by a number of factors that can range from the not so obvious of social class, to the clear lack of exercise and poor diet. Obese or overweight children are more likely to carry this status into adulthood and put themselves at an increased risk of developing associated health problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and even premature mortality (Public Health England, 2013). Obesity is defined as the over consumption of calories in relation to little physical activity, this means calories consumed are not being burnt but turned into fat cells (NHS, 2012).
Childhood obesity and diabetes have become increasingly common among youth in our country. Over the last 30 years, obesity among children and adolescents in the U.S has quadrupled from 6 percent to 24 percent, and over 18,000 children are diagnosed with diabetes every year. This can largely be attributed to not having enough access to healthy nutritious foods, such as fresh produce. In most low-income communities families are restricted to the use of small convenience stores and low-quality grocers which are typically not equipped to sell these foods because they cannot afford to purchase them. Almost 90 percent of Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons for this, but a major reason is because so many families are food
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.
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).
According to the American Heart Association (2013) “one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963.” According to the American Nurses Association (2010), “There are approximately 13 million obese children in the United States, and the rate of childhood obesity has risen significantly from 14.8% in 2003 to 16.4% in 2007. Unlike some disorders that children are believed to outgrow, eight out of ten obese children become obese adults.” Numerous children are victims of a variety of health problems inflicted by the insufficiency of good nutrition and physical activity. Nurses play a significant role in identifying factors, preventing, and treating obesity in children.
...It is not only affecting our children’s health, it is costing parents and the government enormous amounts of money each year to treat childhood obesity related sicknesses. Parents that are against the government’s input in our school meals and activities should reconsider their position and understand that the government is not looking to control them, but to raise healthier children and stop the childhood obesity epidemic.
Childhood obesity may not seem like a serious problem, but it is a serious medical condition that can have major effects on a child. Although genetics plays a role in determining a child’s weight, it is usually due to a child’s amount of exercise and the consumption of healthy meals. Doctors are concerned with the issue, as we all should be, and they are creating new programs that are geared toward helping children learn how to follow a healthier lifestyle. There are some promising outlooks with these programs, and most doctors agree that parents should help their children create a more active and healthy lifestyle. They also agree that the government should provide more attention to the issue as well.
Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the opportunities to make positive health decisions and learn about good, nutritional values.
Have you ever considered what is in the food you are feeding your children? Most foods that are bought at the neighborhood grocery stores are considered global foods which are packed with additives and chemicals making them far less nutritious than local produce from the community farmer‘s market. After much research, I have concluded that it is better to buy produce which is grown locally rather than produce which is sourced globally (from other countries). I think this is important because most people, like myself, buy global foods and do not realize how much better local foods are for the local economy, the global environment, and our personal nutrition. Nutrition is vital to the healthy of everyone especially children, so with the purchase of local fresh produce, it can ease the worry in parents of what children as well as ourselves are ingesting.
(2005) demonstrated that the end goal to stop the rate of obesity in childhood is the involvement of the Government. It is imperative that protective measures are set up and observed to guarantee that they are decreasing both the frequency and severity of youth weight gain. Childhood obesity should be checked periodically at both elementary and high schools levels. Examination completed by Hammod & Levine (2010), demonstrated that checking the weight of elementary school children was achievable, but that of high schools children was definitely not. It could be inferred that childhood obesity is a huge, expanding issue in the US, which will lead into older