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Social problem paper childhood obesity
Childhood obesity and its implications on society
Social problem paper childhood obesity
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In today’s society, childhood obesity is no big surprise, we are “used to it.” In “Young Kids, Old Bodies” by Alice Park we are shown many graphs and pictures and each depicts a different story depending on the page the reader is on. As the reader reads along each page the different pictures/graphs set the stage for the author’s words. The first image the reader sees, is a photograph by Katherine Wolkoff which introduces Kimberly Rhodes a thirteen year old with childhood obesity. Kimberly does not look very happy in this picture, she looks lonely, only finding companionship in her pets (since there are 4 dogs in the picture). This tragic picture sets the stage for the sad story of childhood obesity, on how these children become isolated from …show more content…
The graphic is of an overweight child’s organs that explains how they are affected by obesity, and data on the affected. All of the organs show aging and degeneration that otherwise would not occur. The bottom third of the graphic states that obesity since the 1980’s has tripled in ages 2 to 19, which should be of great concern to all parents. This increase in recent years shows that parents are not checked into their children’s eating habits or they just do not care. Even though they both are bad enough let’s take into account the former, why aren 't parents worried about their children 's lives? Above all, are these parents even caring for their children? Since nutrition and health are a very important part of a child’s development, wouldn 't it be safe to say that these children are being neglected. In the article we read about Mrs. Amador the mother of an obese child, she states that her husband and she figured “he would start losing weight as he got a little older and the girls started paying attention… My husband thought it was funny.” Ultimately, these habits can change, therefore, new trends over parenting help will arise. Books on “how to keep your child eating right” will sell, and as the amounts of obese children increase the bigger the effect it will have on
Described within the vignette is a nineteen year old teenager named Brandy. Similar to girls her age, Brandy has difficulties dealing with her body image and self-esteem. For instance, she experiences hopelessness, isolation, sadness, and anxiety that all contribute to Brandy’s acknowledgement of her physical appearance. She completely overestimates her body size to the point of taking dieting pills then defaulting to purging. During the typical day, the meals are scarce but healthy compared to a bad day full of unhealthy snacking. Lastly, her family predicament is not a supportive one at that. Her mother was obese so she constantly dieted while Brandy’s father illustrated signs of sexual interest although he never physically touched her.
“It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder - seven million women, and one million men.” (“South Carolina Department of Mental Health”). Skinny by Ibi Kaslik is about two sisters, Holly and Giselle, whose lives and relationship are impacted by the others’ state of condition. Giselle is a medical student who wanted to see what would happen if she stopped eating, and because of this she developed anorexia. Holly is an eighth grader who was born deaf in her left ear. The story jumps back and forth, changing every chapter, from Giselle’s point of view to Holly’s. This helps show the reader how one sister affects the others life. Skinny by Ibi Kaslik shows how family problems can have a great effect on the lives of the people within the family.
Obesity occurs when an individual has accumulated a lot of body fat that results in a negative effect on their health. These negative effects can range from having diabetes or congestive heart failure. Studies show that obesity is a lot more common in the African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian population that it is with Asians (Mary Ferguson) , 2). In today’s society the younger children are adapting to bad habits. The majority of kids in America are becoming obese. It is not the fact that these kids were born to obesity. It 's the simple fact that majority of these kids are not acquiring the proper encouragement at school, restaurants, or in home. In the article, “‘Extra Large’“, ‘Please written by Alice M. Davies she inserts several causes to lead of obesity. Alice Davies ' article clearly addresses the current concern regarding childhood obesity, which I agree with.
Wintergirls is a book related to eating disorders. The author’s purpose of writing this book is to inform readers what a person with an eating disorder. It depicts the inner and outer conflicts that characters like Lia and Cassie face with disorder. It all began with a competition between two characters of who can be the skinniest. Cassie dies in the attempt of winning the game. Lia, the main character in this novel, always keeps track of her food consumption. For example, one breakfast morning, Lia said she didn’t want “a muffin (410),…orange (75),…toast (87),…waffles (180)” (Anderson 5). Lia constantly keeps track of the calories she eats. Unlike Cassie who follows the path of bulimia, Lia inhibits herself from eating, therefore not getting the proper nutrients. This allows the readers to know how a person with a disorder like Lia can restrain herself from eating foods that we’re used to eating in our regular lives. Her ultimate goal frequently change, getting lower and lower each time. Lia strives for a “five hundred calories a day” (Anderson 189). Her constant change of goals allows the readers to know the struggles a girl with such a mindset may feel.
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.
It is apparent that living an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as eating poorly, negatively affects one’s health. From a young age it is quickly learned which foods are considered healthful as opposed to junk food. It is a parents responsibility to supervise the intake of their child's food, however there is a higher risk than ever before of childhood obesity.
Many would argue that children should not focus on their weight because children should lead a youth with little worries, yet obesity affects a child much more than people with that argument think. Being overweight can cause increased risks for several serious diseases and even can result in decreased mental health on account of low self-esteem and social discrimination. Children who are overweight also are at least twice as likely to have heart disease, diabetes, and orthopedic problems (Internicola, 2009). Sadly, children are being pressured into unhealthy lifestyles even more so than adults are.
Patti Smith 's, Just Kids, embarks on her journey towards freedom and breaking away from any of her family tradition that she felt she may have had to follow as a child. It was the fifties, and at that time, the role of women was nothing short of performing female tasks. Smith recounts the moments in her childhood where she would feel resentment towards her mother, as she watched her perform female, motherly tasks, and noted her well-endowed female body (Smith 5). To Patti Smith, it all seemed against her nature. The heavy scent of perfume, the red slashes of lipstick, revolted her. She wanted to be different, to create her own self-image. Ironically enough, it was through her androgynous image, that Patti Smith was able to capture the attention
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).
Obesity is a modern epidemic in America and is starting to become our society’s “norm.” According to an article in Progress in Health Sciences, childhood obesity is the most frequent eating disorder (Koukourikos). There are several factors that contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Should we solely shun the parents of obese children for this? No, we should not. There is not one single person to blame, but several people, along with our society. Family, friends, and schools all play a very important role in teaching children about healthy food choices and exercise. Children may have a greater risk for obesity due to genetic factors. We need to constantly remind our children how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that
In today’s society, childhood obesity is a climbing dilemma. According to CDC (centers of disease control and prevention) in the past thirty years obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. Approximately 72.7 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 years experienced obesity. (CDC) Obesity does not require lab test or imaging; normally a person who is obese is overweight and lives a sedentary lifestyle. In an ad made by a Belgium student, David Lesage the issue of childhood obesity is most appropriately displayed. The caption of the ad reads “L'obésité commence dès le plus jeune âge”. Which can be translated to “obesity begins at a young age”. Lesage successfully persuades the reader to support the battle
Childhood obesity has recently become a major problem not only in the Unites States, but all around the world. No one knows the real reason as to why childhood obesity has recently become a major epidemic, but it has been found that the environment that the children live in plays a factor in the child’s weight status. Not only that but, some people believe that fast food and their million dollar industries is the reasons why so many children are obese. Whereas others have found that it all relies on their parents, that they, the parents, are the reason why their children are the way they are. Some even say that it’s the school’s fault because they do not teach the children how to live a healthy lifestyle. Whatever it is, it need to be fixed so that we can have a healthier America. At the same time that I believe that the parents play a big role in the weight status of their children, I also believe that schools play a factor in the recent outbreak of childhood obesity.
A lot of children are overweight and obese too, unfortunately. Childhood obesity is especially sad because, for the most part, the parents are at fault. The child, especially when they’re young, have no control over what they eat and couldn’t try to be healthy, even if they wanted to. “In 2013, 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight of obese.” (Obesity and
Parents are not teaching children how to eat healthy. They feed them cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. Kids are not being exposed to a regular diet of health fruits and vegetables. Now some people are just naturally overweight, but being “overweight” is not the same as being “obese.” Someone who is overweight has reached a maximum weight limit for their height. When someone goes beyond this maximum limit, then they are considered “obese” (Kiess 1). Research shows that “obesity is generally defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue” (Kiess 1). The increase in childhood obesity today is mainly the fault of the parent because they are unable to tell their children “no” when it comes to junk food (Kiess 104). Parents are the one buying all the food that comes into the house. They are the ones buying the sugary drinks and chips. They are the ones allowing the children to “have what they want.” Because parents are not teaching their children how to eat healthy, we will continue to see childhood obesity increase. Unfortunately, overweight children will be the ones who suffer because statistics show children who are overweight are more likely to become obes...
Childhood obesity is a growing problem not only in New Zealand but worldwide. This is due to many factors and has many effects on society. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30. BMI is a measure of your weight divided by your height, the normal range is considered to be from 18 to 25 and over 30 is said to be obese. BMI became an international standard for obesity measurement in the 1980s (S.Wilson, 2000). Obesity is not just a modern day problem, Ancient Egyptians are said to consider obesity as a disease, having been drawn in a wall of depicted illnesses. Perhaps the most famous and earliest evidence of obesity is the Venus figurines, statuettes of an obese female torso that probably had a major role in rituals. Ancient China has also been aware of obesity and the dangers that come with it. They have always been a believer of prevention as a key to longevity (L.Dobbins, Dec 2007). Obesity is considered to be a problem because it is a risk factor for many chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. The New Zealand health strategy has two objectives that relate directly to obesity, to improve nutrition and to increase physical activity (Reuters, Feb. 15 2008). Experts and the media are feeding us with information on this ‘,obesity epidemic’, but is there actually a problem? An epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period. According to New Zealand Herald 95% of parents considered the number of overweight and obese children to be a significant problem. In other words there is sufficient evidence to say we do have an obesity epidemic on our hands.