Obesity In America

The problem I’d like to solve is the high rates of obesity in the United States that lead to damaging effects such as suicide, depression, or other clinical diseases. I want to connect this to the impact our surroundings have on our eating habits. For example, when around friends, teenagers might make different choices and eat different things versus when around parents or alone. This is a major problem in America because obesity rates are on the rise and this could lead to long term effects such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease along with many other possibly life threatening damages. “Over the past few years, child obesity rate has skyrocketed increasing from 6.5% to 19.6% since 1980. In just 28 years, obesity nearly tripled in age groups

If we educate the kids and teens of the long lasting effects obesity could potentially inflict on their bodies, there is the possibility that they will take charge and do something about it before they become victims of the many problems obesity can lead to. Also educating their parents could help identify the early signs of depression or other diseases connected to obesity and limit junk food that enters the home, helping their kids make better food choices. I also think that most kids today are overweight due to school and stress that comes with the high standards of having good grades. With this abundance of stress, most kids don’t know how to deal with it which results in overeating and other health problems. Researchers say that most stress from school comes from academics which can lead to irritability and tiredness. These side effects are damaging to the health of kids and young teens causing them to stress eat and become a couch potato because the majority of students are to tired to go outside and exercise after school, and some focus on homework and studying all evening after they get home. I plan on fixing this by establishing study halls for students to have time to study, do homework, and relax so they can enjoy time with their family and do things other than schoolwork once they get home. I also strive to make teachers give tests/quizzes on their own day. For example, one teacher gives all her tests on a Tuesday and another on a Thursday. This way, students don’t have to constantly be stressed out about their upcoming tests that happen to all be on the same day. The last thing I would do to help relieve school stress would be to create “fun days” where students learn through fun experiments and experience of the outside