Essay on America's New Look

In the past three decades, rates of childhood obesity have increased precipitously. Between the years and 1980 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity has increased from 6.5% to 19.6% among 6 to 11 year old children and 5.0% to 18.1% among 12 to 19 year old adolescents x(National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). This condition is accompanied by many physical and psychological consequences for these children. There are two common postions in the debate about the causes of this condition. One belief of the cause of childhood obesity is that it is a question of “personal responsibility” or in the case of children, of “parental responsibility.” That is, increasing rates of obesity are due to

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the United States in the past three decades. In 2012, roughly 17% or 12.5 million children and adolescents are overweight or obese” (“Childhood Obesity Facts,” 2014). According to the Centers of Disease Control and

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .

Statement of Health Problem: Childhood obesity has been a significant problem across our nation for decades, and can be clearly associated with insufficient nutrition, health, and wellness. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for adolescents within the same age group ("Defining Childhood Obesity"). The most recent data show that the national childhood obesity rate for those between 2-19 years old is 18.5% ("The State of Childhood Obesity"). This equates to nearly 1 in 5 school age children being classified as obese ("Childhood Obesity Facts").

Obesity is a serious global health problem for both children and adults (Werthmann, Jansen, Vreugdenhil, Nederkoorn, Schyns, & Roefs, 2015). Obesity, as a medical terminology, is a condition in which there is increase in the proportion of body fat to the extent that there are associated health consequences (Grønbæk, 2008). Children are considered overweight if they have their body mass index (BMI) within the 85th to 94.99th percentile range (adjusted for age and sex) on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts. Similarly, they are considered obese if they have BMI at the 95th percentile or higher (Puhl & Latner, 2007) on the CDC growth charts (Fleming et al., 2008). Weight gain takes place when the caloric (energy)

The prevalence of obesity in childhood is a big concern because of its adverse consequences in the short and long term. According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2010), the rise in childhood obesity for the past ten years has been very alarming. It was noted that obesity now rank as the 5th leading risk factor for death (Larsen, 2015). It is also estimated that obesity is attributed to 44% in diabetes development, 23% in ischemic heart disease and 7 to 41 % of some certain cancers (Larsen, 2015). Childhood obesity is defined as a body mass index equivalent or greater than the 95th percentile of a child's body weight or body mass index more than 30 kg/ms (WHO, 2010). Obesity identifies biologically those children who will later in life

One of the greatest health risks that children face today is not an atrocious disease like cancer nor is it learning or behavioral problems—it is obesity! The Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, health education and research, defines child hood obesity as “a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents, that occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height” (Mayo). The Mayo Clinic goes on to say that childhood obesity is particularly troubling because it starts kids off on an early path to health complications that they could encounter later in life (Mayo). The Centers for Decease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently started referring to obesity as an “epidemic” and new national statistics show that about 16.06% of American children, ages six years old to eleven years old, are considered to be overweigh (Childhood Obesity Facts). The California Department of Public Health Nutrition concluded that in California, 15.8% of children, ages six to eleven years old, are considered overweight (Obesity in California: The Weight of the State, 2000-2012). With these percentages in mind, Childhood Obesity must be viewed as an immediate serious concern that is impacting our children at the national, state, county, and local level.

In today’s ever changing world is important to understand the statistics behind obesity. Today the number of children that are overweight continues to increase. “The percentage of overweight children in the United States is alarming, with one out of three now considered either overweight or obese” Nemours (2012). The weight of our children can be a reflection of the parents. The Body Mass Index is important for parents to understand and assist children in monitoring weight and exercise habits. In today’s education of health, the BMI calculator is taught so that children can understand where they fall in categorical measurements.

Obesity has been a major health issue in the community for the past three decades, and has recently become a spreading concern for children (Black & Hager, 2013). Childhood obesity leads to many health and financial burdens in the future, and has become a public health priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016), childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Black and Hager (2013) state that pediatric obesity is a major public health problem that effects a child’s mental and physical health. Having childhood obesity also increases the risk of developing adult obesity and many other chronic illnesses. Childhood obesity will be further explored in the following sections and will include: background, current surveillance methods, epidemiology analysis, screening and diagnosis, and the plan of action.

Obesity is a growing problem among U.S. children. In 1994, one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 was overweight. This is double the rate of 30 years ago (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999). This adverse trend has potentially profound effects on children's health, including their long-term health. The terms "obese" and "overweight" often are used interchangeably. Technically, "obesity" is the upper end of "overweight." Obesity is clinically diagnosed as: greater than 90th percentile for weight for height; or greater than or equal to the 95th percentile Body Mass Index (BMI), age and sex specific. The gold standard is becoming the BMI, since this is also used

Over the past few decades the United States has seen a dramatic rise in the average weight of children and adolescents leading to an obesity epidemic. According to Up-to-Date, body mass index (BMI) is defined as the standard measure of obesity in individuals. It is the body height in kilograms divided by the body height in meters squared (Skeleton, 2016). Child obesity is based on a standardized growth scale and is defined as a body mass index (BMI) that surpasses the 95th percentile of a fixed distribution for a child’s age and gender. For elementary school age students, the cutoff is around a BMI of 20 (Schanzenbach, 2005). An increased obesity is due to a disproportion of increased caloric intake with inadequate energy expenditure throughout the day. In a recent comparison of 34 countries, Janssen et. al showed that “the two countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obese youth were Malta (25.4% and 7.9%) and the United States (25.1% and 6.8%) while the two countries with the lowest prevalence were Lithuania (5.1% and 0.4%) and Latvia (5.9% and 0.5%)” (2005).

Parents need to be ambitious for their kids. Parents need to be consumed in helping their kids in order for them to live a healthy lifestyle. By realizing they are the ones distributing the nutrients to their children. They will have a self-realization that the kids aren’t the ones making the bad decisions. Parents will then realize that they are the ones who are in charge of their child’s urgency for a healthier lifestyle. They will realize the media influences and the increased of childhood obesity over the past 25 years.

Obesity is amongst the fastest growing causes of disease and death in America. As stated by Obesity Action Coalition (2015), approximately every one in three children is affected by childhood obesity. Presently, more children are diagnosed with cases of hypertension, diabetes, and various other comorbid conditions alongside their condition of obesity (para 1). In order for a child to be identified as overweight, the child must have a body mass index for their particular age greater than 85 percent but less than 95 percent. In order for a child to be identified as obese or affected by obesity, the child’s body mass index for their particular age percentile must be greater than 95 percent.

Obesity in children is also caused by learned behavior and habits; early cognitive conditioning by parents on the eating habits of their children may result in obesity. Children are smart at listening to their body stimulations, when they are full, they will stop eating. However, and some parents force them to eat everything that is served, ignoring their fullness. This continuous behavior may result in a habit, leading to obesity in children. The lifestyle and environment that a child is brought up in can have effects on their behavior.The family, friends and community resources in a child’s environment reinforce lifestyle habits regarding diet and

Children can be easily influenced by their elders and can create habit forming eating patterns based on their guardians. If a child grows up around a healthy parenting style, that child will make good choices and hopefully follow their footsteps. “An obese adolescent must therefore learn to eat and enjoy healthy foods in moderate amounts and to exercise regularly to maintain a desired weight” (AACAP, n.d, para. 6). Children’s parents should be entitled to prepare a compelling standard of living for their children to help prevent the rising obesity problem in America today.