Childhood obesity is slowly becoming more and more of a problem in the United States.
“The percentage of children with obesity in the U.S has more than tripled since the 1970s.” During those 46 years, little have been done to fix this problem. I agree that children should be able to eat whatever they please or at least eat the food their parents allows them to eat. However, this situation is getting out of hand. Schools have been putting up vending machines and selling unhealthy snacks to kids. A little bag of doritos or maybe fritos won't do much to the body. Whereas, if this becomes a daily routine when attending school, then public and private schools have to fix this food chaos going around the campus. That’s why some schools have a
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calorie limit where they are only allowed to sell junk foods to student that has a certain amount of calories in them. In my opinion, I think this is a very good idea. Limitation. Limiting the amount of the calories and the number of chips/snacks they are able to purchase. If more schools would even consider this method, less kids would have to suffer diabetes, risks of heart disease, etc. Bullying. Bullying is as horrible as it sounds. Whether it’s verbal, physical, online or something as simple as rumours. Some kids have been bullied one way or the other throughout their life. For example, your older sibling teasing you or something foolish as taking your stuff or your friends “playfully” hitting you. That’s bullying. “Children with obesity are bullied and teased more than their normal weight peers.” That’s how junk foods can deeply impact your life. From this evidence found in the “Childhood Obesity Facts” article, it can cause depression, social isolation and cause the child to have lower self-esteem. It’s bad enough that people are constantly having these negative thoughts about themselves or the way they look. But to actually hear it come out of someone else’s mouth is heartbreaking. All people don’t deserve those nasty comments, they really don’t but with more weight adding onto that list, that depression is gonna take over your whole body while that self-esteem gradually decreases. Last but not least, health.
Everyday your body adapts into this habit of yours. Even though McDonald’s is having an all day breakfast or Jack in the Box released a new banana milkshake, your health is at risk, you’re body is like an open door for these heart diseases and, their comes the regret. “Children with obesity are at higher risk for having other chronic health conditions and diseases that impact physical health, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease.” What some people are doing to their body can be sometimes ridiculous. Some are smoking their lungs out, drinking until their liver gives out and some are simply eating away their health away. Social media portrays what the “perfect body” is. In my opinion, everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way. However, not doing what’s best for yourself will only make things worse for you and those who love you. Diabetes is already bad enough, but increasing the possibility of heart diseases and joint problems is horrible. Exercising is a way to try and be healthy again. Going on a healthy diet is another one on the list. For some it’s easy to quit eating but, for most is one of the hardest thing to accomplish in their life. Eating for them is almost like an addiction. One can't just suddenly stop and start eating healthy and/or working out. It's almost impossible. A drunk always makes promises to him/herself that theyĺl stop drinking or a smoker, always says that they'll stop buying a pack or two cigarettes a day. Itś not that simple. Starting slow would be good. Eat a few salads here and there or maybe even throwing an apple or two during the day. Limiting the amount of junk food you taking in your system would be number two. Number three is to start exercising and start eating healthy on a weekly basis. ¨In the long term, childhood obesity also is associated with having obesity as an adult, which is linked to serious conditions.¨ Obesity
will haunt you until you do something about it.
Schools are meant to give our children a healthy and nurturing environment, and yet so much of the lunches in schools are fattening; does this stop schools from achieving the aforementioned goal? Childhood obesity in the United Sates continues to be a growing problem despite so any new programs to help combat it, and new research is showing how schools may be playing a large role in childhood obesity. School lunches are showing to be the problem, they encourage poor nutrition in our nation’s students, and simple reform is proving to not be enough to stop the rise in obesity rates.
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).
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.
"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.
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)
Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?
This issue of childhood obesity is growing out of control. There havev been many efforts to increase awareness in order to help children become more fit. Success for these attempts have not been too successful. Many children who get on a diet do not complete it. As a result, they do not reach their expected weight loss goal. Childhood obesity is dangerous because there are a lot of potential complications that can be faced if it is not handled. Becoming obese during childhood can result in obesity later on; it can also impact the quality of the child’s life; and children also become more susceptible to diseases later on. Due to the statistics that are shown for the growing rate of childhood obesity, it is wondered if childhood obesity is a result of parental neglect. The current debate is what can be done to help childhood obesity. If indeed it is a result of parental neglect, what can be done to get parents in check to control this ongoing epidemic?
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).
To conclude, unhealthy foods in the cafeteria and the vending machines are the worst examples for the kids to maintain the healthy eating habits. Us Parents have to step in to make changes for our kids because in doing so would determine what kind of foods our kids are consuming. We do know for facts they are not getting the proper nutrients while in school, although they do spend in average of eight to 12 hours in schools. We, the parents, can start to make a difference, by attending the school meetings and being active in our kids functions in schools.
Obesity is a huge problem in the United States. Many people argue that it is not the government’s responsibility. But, since the government regulates most schools there are things that they should be doing to prevent childhood obesity. Children need to get the proper amount of physical exercise daily. They need to be provided with the healthy nutrients, and need to have knowledge about healthy foods. If children do not receive these necessities then obesity will have a negative impact on America. If they do receive these tools then the percentage of obese children in the United States will decrease significantly. In conclusion, the percentage of children that are obese in the United States will lower if children are taught about what they are eating, vending machines are abolished, and physical education classes are required at schools.
Food addiction can lead to serious and difficult health concerns. Nevertheless, obesity has other health issues that comes with it as well. In the United States between 2007 and 2009 there has been a 1.1% increase of obesity (Pedram). There has been an assumption that if it continues by 2050 it would be close to 100% of Americans who would be obese (Pedram). This information explains that the increase in overconsumption of food can slowly make most Americans suffer from obesity. Another issue of obesity is that it is “the fifth leading cause of global death” (Pedram). Becoming a food addict can cause an individual into becoming obese that they may eventually face death. Food addiction has become quite a controversial that it is difficult to overcome as fast food restaurants are encouragement in individuals to choose the path of obesity. Nevertheless, obesity is still a health issue that is harmful and dangerous to an
Living in a household where not everyone eats the same is hard. I know because I live in one. I no longer eat meat or processed foods but the rest of my family still does. Therefore, I see processed foods all in the kitchen cabinets and meat in the fridge and freezer. Is it hard to not give in and eat the junk when my family does the grocery and don 't buy me anything that I can eat? Yeah, it is but I can 't blame them. It 's not on their minds to buy more fruits and vegetables or no processed foods or no meat because they don 't eat that way. Therefore, I do my own food shopping and cook my own meals. I also follow people on social media who eat the way I eat and just keep in mind the reasons for why I eat the way I eat. Sometimes you have to create your own support system in order to stay strong. Over time, your body learns to reject it to the point where you get disgusted by the smell and sight of it, so don 't give up. Take each day one step at a time, plan your meals in advance, and socialize with people who eat the way you want to eat. Last, but not least, keep a positive attitude when it comes to changing eating habits because the change does not happen overnight. Instead, it 's a continuous process that may even change again over
My parents know that soda makes my stomach much bigger and they motivated me to change this habit. I used to drink a lot soda with chips, french fries, chicken and pizza. Something important that made me find out is, when we people like something, then, continuously start eating the same food for a very long time until we start disliking them. Since, I have drank soda for a long time, now I feel the same taste and the taste became old to me. My parents motivation and own realization made me accomplishing this habit. I believe, Human are creatures of habit. Overtime, We buy the same foods from the same grocery store, prepare the same recipes over and over. But, if we are serious about eating healthier and losing weight, then, it is possible to change those bad eating habits until it is too late. In order to maintain a healthy behavior, first one should start to prepare for it. However, in order to achieve these goals of health and fitness is really about involving in healthy behaviors on a daily routine basis. It does not matter how small the habit is, over time they can have a huge effect on an individual’s health. Therefore, we have to be serious about changing our lifestyle in order to achieve the goal.