Socialization of Children is Key to Reducing Childhood Obesity

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The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic or theme related to family or family theory. The questions to be answered are the following: what has been learned from the literature in the topic? How has the readings helped in a better understanding of how this issue could be addressed in practice? A minimum of three peer reviewed articles will be used in this discussion. The topic chosen is how parents’ socialization techniques and behaviors are contributing to childhood obesity. Based on a review of the literature, one thing learned was that the incidence of obesity from 1980 to 1999 has doubled in the United States (Ogden, Carroll & Flegal, 2002 cited in O’Dea & Eriksen, 2010, pp. 84-85). Childhood obesity is a major concern because these children grow up to become obese adults. According to Serdula et al., 1993 (as cited by Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003) childhood obesity leads to a lot of adult health problems. Obese children are being diagnosed with diseases normal seen in older adults, like non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Disease leads to other costly complications, such as coronary artery disease, renal failure, and blindness (Freedman, Katzmarzyk, Dietz, Srinivasan, & Berenson, 2009 According to Olshansky et al., 2005 (as cited by Levi, Vinter, St. Laurent, & Segal, 2010), if this trend is not halted, many are predicting that for the first time in history, there will be a decrease in the life expectancy of our children. Healthy people 2010 identified overweight and obesity as 1 of 10 health indicators and called for a reduction in the percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese; the United States has made little progress in achieving this goal. Ironically ... ... middle of paper ... ...ood obesity prevention: International research, controversies, and intervention. NY: Oxford. Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., &, Flegal, K. M. (2002). A review of prevalence and trends in childhood obesity in the United States. In J.A. O’Dea & M. Eriksen (Ed.), Childhood obesity prevention: International research, controversies and interventions (pp. 84-85). NY: Oxford. Rhee, K. (2008). Childhood overweight and the relationship between parent behaviors, Parenting style, and family functioning. Sage. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from, http://ann.sagepub.com/content/615/1/11 Spruyt, K., Molfese, D.L., &, Gozal, D. (2011). Sleep duration, sleep regularity, body weight, and metabolic homeostasis in school-aged children. Pediatrics. Retrieved February 28, 2010 from, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/01/24/peds.2010-0497.full.pdf+html

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