Childhood Obesity

952 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What are the causes of obesity in children

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. With the expansion in technology, children are hastily becoming more and more inactive. In the past century, kids would play outside from sunrise to sunset. Little did they realize, that playtime served as great daily exercise. Physical activity is a key necessity in keeping a healthy lifestyle. With the advancement of technology and the growing popularity of video games and television, fewer children are getting exercise. Stationary activities, such as video games and watching T.V., are keeping children inside and away from exercise. To blame just the kids for this lack of exercise would be wrong. The parents are the ones responsible for giving the children these games, but that is not all bad. Where it does turn bad however, is when the kids are given these games or televisions without a time restraint. Through research, they have found that 26% of children watch television for more than four hours a day. In efforts to encourage outside playtime for kids, Nickelodeon shut down programming daily from noon to 3pm. This seemed to be a great idea, but does it really help? Children are in school session Monday through Friday from 8am 3pm. The time Nickelodeon chose to go dark is the same time child... ... middle of paper ... ...t. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. Crouse, Janice Shaw. "The Fast-Food Industry Intentionally Markets Unhealthy Food to Children." Fast Food. Ed. Tracy Brown Collins. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. Moon, Amy. "A Culture Obsessed with Thinness Propagates Misconceptions About Obesity." SF Gate (8 Apr. 2008). Rpt. in How Should Obesity be Treated? Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. "Programming combats childhood obesity." Daily Review [Towanda, PA] 2 Apr. 2011. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. "All Food Sales in Schools Should Offer Healthier Options." Should Junk Food Be Sold in Schools? Ed. Norah Piehl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Show More
Related

  • If You Pitch It They Will Eat Summary

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    We must do something about fast food products, to stop from affecting children and leading them to obesity. Is what reflect David Barboza’s article “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat.” School’s, Parent’s, Policy Makers, etc… Should take the lead in this action, by reducing many unhealthy food products from school’s, store’s, and place’s close to home.

    Read More

  • Epidemic upon America’s Youth: Installing Fast-food Outlets in High Schools

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Schools with enormous food courts where students can buy meals and drinks from commonly known franchises, such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola, are the schools with the most health problems. Fast-food franchises are showing up everywhere, but do these businesses belong in high schools? No! Schools are here to enlighten students for life after school. If high schools promote bad eating habits by placing fast-food franchises in their cafeterias, then how can students eat right and healthy beyond high school.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Fast Food: Oppression Through Poor Nutrition

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obesity in the United States, which the media has labeled a national crisis, has also been connected to poverty rates. Big fast food industry’s target poor communities, and spend millions of dollars each year to create advertising that appeals to these specific areas. These industry’s also target naïve children when advertising because they know that eating habits developed in childhood are usually carried into adulthood. Children who are exposed to television advertisements for unhealthy food and who are not educated well enough on good nutrition will grow up and feed their families the same unhealthy foods they ate as kids. A big way fast food giants are able to make certain young people have access to unhealthy food is by strategically placing franchises in close proximity to schools. They will often place three times as many outlets within walking distance of schools than in areas where there are no schools nearby. The way fast food advertising is targeted towards children is very alarming considering how important good nutrition is for young people and how a child’s eating habits can affect their growth and

    Read More

  • Obesity in Children Across America

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    Food To Students." Points Of View: Junk Food In Schools (2013): 2. Points of View

    Read More

  • Stated Zinczenko's 'Don T Blame The Eater'

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Burgers, shakes, and fries. The lines at fast-food restaurants are absurdly long. There have been bountiful instances of families suing these businesses for selling unhealthy meals to the youths whose parents are outrageously angry. “Isn 't that like middle-aged men suing Porsche for making them get speeding tickets?” Stated Zinczenko in his published essay “Don 't Blame the Eater.” The youth still continues buying these toxic Happy Meals even after the prices increase. These unhealthy meals are the only way to consuming something affordable. Zinczenko’s words appeal to his audience, the youth or young adults, by explaining why nutrition facts are important, moreover, when informed of the facts it can prevent diseases, alike Diabetes.

    Read More

  • America's Food Problem

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fast food restaurants such as Burger King and McDonald’s, create advertisements where it urges people to consume their product. For example Mcdonald’s created a product where you can get two items such as a mcdouble and a medium fries for three dollars. According to “The battle against fast food begins at home”, by Daniel Weintraub, it shows how companies are intriguing their customers. “ The center blames the problem on the increasing consumption of fast food and soft drinks, larger portion sizes in restaurants and the amount of available on school campuses”(1).For the most part, the Center for Public Health believes that fast food companies are the problem for health

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity: Fast Food Companies Are To Blame

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ruskin, Gary. “The Fast Food Trap: How Commercialism Creates Overweight Children.” Commercialalert.org. Commercial Alert, 31 Oct. 2003. Web. 8 May 2011.

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity in America

    2217 Words  | 5 Pages

    Childhood obesity epidemic, one of the most detrimental disorders, has maximized social and economical challenges faced by Americans in the 21st century. The United States of America has been always placed in the top-10 most obese countries, a list not be so proud about. Poor dietary habits at school due to consumption of competitive, unhealthy foods have resulted in escalating obesity thereby influencing a student’s performance in and outside school. As a major problem’s solution lies within finding its root, schools with the aid of governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and institutions, have started to provide valid solutions in an attempt to reverse this epidemic. For instance one major attempt, by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the State Board of Education, to alleviate this problem in schools was the introduction of ‘sin-tax’. Schools’ taxed students on purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages but that was not quite successful, as it did not stop the affluent students to purchase high calorific beverages and only targeted students with a low socio-economic background. Thus, the most influential solution implemented by these governmental organizations’ that is responsible for decreasing childhood obesity by quite a large factor is improving school meals by increasing the nutrition standard. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken mandatory mediation steps that involve eliminating the sales of competitive fast food and increasing the supply of high organic nutritious food that meets the USDA requirement thereby improving the nutrition standard. I believe schools, with the intervention of governmental agencies like the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SND...

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity in the United States

    2855 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity

    1849 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Synthesis Essay On Childhood Obesity

    240 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although kids like to eat junk food, we need to stop selling unhealthy snacks at school because of obesity, state restrictions, and the lack of eating time. Childhood obesity is growing throughout the world, it’s becoming a serious problem, and needs to be solved. “Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the United States since the 1970s.” (Source 1) This means that we need to stop obesity before it is too late. One of the reasons for obesity itself is that children have not had enough healthy food lately and with all this new junk snacks coming out, ilt is hard not to eat this tempting food. Another part of obesity is not enough exercise. Lately, People would rather sit in front of a screen instead of going for a walk in the park or riding

    Read More

  • Effects of Youth Involvement in Organized Sports

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    By now almost everyone has heard about child obesity in America, but just how high are the rates? The answer might surprise you. According to Nate Whitman, a writer for The Huffington Post, “rates of obesity have doubled in 2- to 5-year-olds, quadrupled in 6- to 11-year-olds, and tripled in 12- to 19-year-olds” (par. 2). This is due to more children staying inside and only doing activities such as video games. They do not interact with anyone besides whomever they are talking to online. These findings are astonishing to say the least. What can we do to combat this? Involvement in organized sports helps children develop their social skills, improve their academic progress, and stay active.

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity Epidemic

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obesity effects 30% percent of children making it the most chronic diseases of childhood. (according to obesityaction.org) I believe childhood obesity is an epidemic, because children are encouraged now more than ever to be more sedentary. For example, we encourage children to sit inside and play video games instead of going outside, even though technology is increasing and changing, we must make sure to keep our children active and moving. Another problem that children face today is eating out, parents find it much simpler to run through a drive through rather than cooking a healthy meal at home. It is now estimated that approximately 40 to 50 percent of every dollar that is spent on food is spent on food outside the home. (according to obesityaction.org). This poses a problem

    Read More

  • Analysis of McDonald’s

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    Worcester Polytechnic Institution. "Fast Food Marketing to Children." Public Health Communication. (2007). http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-082107-231740/unrestricted/Appendix_1.pdf (accessed February 17, 2014).

    Read More

  • Children And Exercise

    2574 Words  | 6 Pages

    In our society today one of the most difficult problems we are facing is the large numbers of obesity in our children. One of the major factors in that is this; our children have become less physically active. At an early age children start watching TV, learn how to operate a computer, and play video games. Having technological skills is now a necessity in all of our lives because everything has turned “computerized,” but the fact is that our children are relying on these types of entertainment rather than getting up and physically exercising to entertain them selves. This directly affects the large number of obese children in our country today because of the lack of physical exercise. It is not that we want our kids to look a certain way or to be better at sports than everyone else, but it is that we want our kids to be physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise is not only for adults, it is for children as well, so we must understand the importance of our children exercising and the benefits from it. By doing that it will make an impact on that child for the rest of his/her life.

    Read More

More about Childhood Obesity

Open Document