Argumentative Essay On Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the past few years. It is a result of an imbalance between how much a child eats and how much a child keeps their body active to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Common factors that are influencing childhood obesity would be the lack of self-control, environmental, and genetics. In order to combat these rising numbers of childhood obesity, people as a collective force must target problem areas within homes, schools, and their surrounding community by educating each other.

As indicated by the graphic above (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2017), each child and adults plate need to have the proportional foods in order to consume a healthy diet. However, with the availability and pricing of healthy

Obesity is becoming a serious medical issue and if we as a nation don’t gain control over it, we are going to be dealing with major problems in the future. (Obesity In Children And Teens)

“Childhood obesity is an condition in which a child is significantly overweight for her or his age and height.” (Mayo Clinic) With childhood obesity rates on the rise, concern among Americans is also heightening, and rightfully so. Due to this concern, many are asking, should the government be stepping in more with childhood obesity cases? Should more regulations and laws be passed to prevent childhood obesity in our children? What can our government do to help with this devastating epidemic? The government should enact higher regulations, education, and activity levels in adolescents to prevent the rise of childhood obesity rates.

Obesity is becoming one of the biggest problems in the country, but there has to be reasons for it. It can be the economy, society now, or people and companies. It’s time that our country starts to realize that we can’t live like this anymore. We need to see what is causing the sudden rise in obesity, and what we can do to fix it. Education of risks and solutions can be very helpful. Obesity is killing so many people, yet is still 100 percent avoidable. Our country is beginning to care less and really let themselves go. The fast food industry, supermarkets, and schools are the ones at fault for the spreading problem of obesity.

Childhood obesity has quickly became one of the biggest health issues in America. Without correctly addressing the source of this problem, it will not be solved. It is important that America begins to categorize this issue like it is, as child abuse. The government should intervene in incidents where childhood obesity becomes an issue because it can cause long term health consequences, economic financial costs, and early depression. An important factor in finding the solution is to know that the nation has not always suffered from this epidemic.

When you think of the word “epidemic,” you often associate it with disease such as the flu, or much more serious ones like the plague. What most people often do not think is the much more common, relatable epidemic of childhood obesity. While we may not be the generation that is being affected the most, chances are the children we see today and children of future generations will be affected if we do not take action now. A fast-food frenzy has swept the nation, technological advances both in and out of the classroom seem to be taking over children’s lives- leaving less time for being physical active, and obese kids are posing a higher risk for an already damaged healthcare system. Childhood

Childhood obesity had become an epidemic of national attention. Research after research has shown us frightening evidence about the health risk facing America’s Children. This dilemma cannot be solved without extensive action. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2012 is a piece of legislation, signed by President Barack Obama, which aims to conflict the overwhelming epidemic that touching the entire nation. Many conservatives argue this act and would like to withdraw the legislation, believing that it is not the appropriate way to go about administering the problem.

The rate of childhood obesity has grown an enormous amount over the years with more than 40 million children being overweight! That number is astonishingly high and it is very obvious that something needs to be done about this. Studies had shown in 2008 that more than 40 million children were said to be overweight and the sad truth is that they are still increasing rapidly to this day; also every 1 in 4 teenagers is said to not reach the fitness guidelines (Tanner) according to an article by Lindsey Tanner. For this problem to be resolved not only do the parents of children need to make sure their kids are staying active but also, the schools they attend need to make sure they are getting a well-balanced meal and have some type of physical activity during their school day. Each state in America is given a percentage rate on the number of obese people in that particular state. The highest ranking state is Mississippi with a percentage of 34.9 and the state ranking the least is Connecticut with 24.5 percent. Different researches have shown that each day 850 lives are taken due to obesity and each year there are more than 300,000 people that die from obesity related illnesses. These are deaths that most likely could have been avoided if these individuals would have had the proper exercise and diet in their lives.

Childhood obesity has now reached an epidemic in several parts of the United States. As a result, children now have a higher risk to have numerous chronic and acute medical problems. Several of the long-lasting medical problems a child might face as a result of obesity could eventually result in death. In addition to chronic medical problems, childhood obesity has severe psychosocial effects on an individual such as low self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is caused by a numerous amount of factors that can eventually lead to severe health complications.

The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s (“Healthy Schools.”). Childhood obesity is a medical condition that affects children and teenagers who contain excess body fat. This condition is very common today, having about 3 million cases per year (“Healthy Schools.”). A sign that a child is suffering from obesity is when their weight is well above the average for a child’s height and age. Today about one in five school children, ages 6-19, are obese (“Healthy Schools.”). I will be addressing the causes, health complications, treatments, controversy, and supporting obese students.

In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.

The issue that I chose to research about was obesity in children and why it is becoming more relevant and time continues. I chose a recent article from San Francisco Chronicle that explains a recent survey that was conducted and what their plan is to try to fix it. In this article, a national report was done comparing children and adult body mass indexes. “The 2016 National Survey of Children's Health found that 30 percent of Wisconsin children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese, while the state's adult rate of obesity is 31 percent” (2017). Because of these results, health officials are very concerned and are trying to fix the problem. Because of this concern, health prfessionals are trying to teach parents to start to fix the problem from home.by having parents provide a better diet and exercise routine for their children.

    Two thirds of American adults are obese or overweight. Obesity is a silent killer that is taking over the United States slowly but surely. People do not typically realize how serious obesity is and it gets joked about, humiliating those who are affected. Obesity is not a joke, it is a disease that is killing everyone’s family, friends and neighbors. Obesity alone is detrimental to the health of an individual, it causes many adverse effects to the body that are often difficult to repair or cure.

Childhood obesity is an enormous problem here in the United States which needs a solution to fix it. A solution will only come if it involves both families of children and people they are surrounded by. There are plenty of resources and studies done to show that childhood is on the rise in the United States. It has been found that weight gain in infants is linked to problems later in like such as cardiovascular and metabolic issues (Uesugi, 1). Without implimentations in young children to reduce this, it could become even more serious than it already is. “Globally 6.1% of children age 0-5 years are overweight” (Uesugi, 2). There are methods out there to help fight this problem but as a society we must use them. All of the methods out there have their own advantages and disadvantages but none can truly get results unless they work in conjunction with the families and people who surround the children.