Childhood Obesity : A Big Problem

As the obesity rate in America increases, people are pointing fingers at the fast-food industry. Teenagers, with the help of their parents, have filed lawsuits blaming fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s for their own health problems. However, parents, not the fast-food companies, are to blame for the amount of overweight children that are present today. They are the ones who teach their children eating and exercising habits, they are the ones who let their young consume unhealthy foods, they are the ones who allow their children to watch television and play on the computer for hours on end, it is obviously the parents fault for obesity in youth.

In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. More than one third of children are overweight. This figure is increasing rapidly. This epidemic puts children at risk for various health problems such as type two diabetes and heart problems. Although they are several risk factors for obesity, parents play a significant role in this issue. This paper will look into how parents are influential to their children, how they contribute to this problem and how they may help fight the fight against obesity. Obesity is a very serious problem and there are solutions that parents can apply to help their children lead a healthy lifestyle. Obesity does not only affect a person physically, but mentally and psychologically as well.

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in United States- it is an growing epidemic. Obesity epidemic in kids has increased by alarming rate just in last few decades. Nearly one in every five child is obese in the United States. If the pattern of obesity continued on most of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying young due to obesity. The American Heart Association reported this year that childhood obesity is the top health concern among parents in the United States, beating out smoking and drug abuse. My own younger siblings suffer with child obesity. Their craving for fast food and very limited physical activity has made them overweight and currently they suffer from health problems. Is this the future of our young generation? How much contribution should a parent have in their child’s diet? Fast food has taken over American diet and it has lead to poor nutritional diet among American youth. Fast food companies spend billion of dollars every year on commercials, convincing youth to love and eat their product. It’s just not our eating habits that has lead our young generation into obesity, lack of physical workout has also played a major role in obesity epidemic. TV, computer, video games and other technology entertainment has contributed to children getting no exercise. Obesity in children can put them in high risks of developing chronic and serious illness. Unhealthy weight leads to having weaker lungs, poor blood quality, heart

There is a growing epidemic in our country, its called obesity. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, and in 2012 more than one third of children were overweight and obese. There are countless reasons as to why this epidemic has gained so much weight over the recent decades, often people say; it is an inherited tendency to put on pounds, lack of good nutrition and diets, or simply because we are too busy or too lazy to exercise. The truth is, physical activities and dietary behaviors of young Americans are influenced by many sectors of society. Including; the families and cultures we

Families across the nation are affected by this issue. Many parents have a lack of knowledge in regards to nutrition and activity, in hindsight the food industry impact families. The article The Childhood Obesity Epidemic discuss despite the government pushing for healthy food choice initiates, have to continue to maximize selling of their products that include junk food, therefore blame shifting towards the food industry (McHugh, 2016, p. 95).

Childhood obesity is a public health crisis in Canada. Research shows that childhood obesity is related to morbidity and mortality in adulthood (Tremblay, 2010). According to one study about 31% of Canadian youth between the ages of 2-17 years are obese and overweight, which put them on a greater risk for developing chronic conditions in their early adulthood years (Vine & Elliot, 2014). Children spend most of their time during the day in the schools, hence, it is very important that schools needs to implement interventions related to healthy diet and meals. Furthermore, eating patterns in childhood determines the eating habits in adulthood, so implementation of healthy eating policies in secondary schools is very essential as

Childhood obesity is not just an issue that American’s are dealing with—it has become an epidemic. Today, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese. Most Americans blame fast food companies for the rise in childhood obesity which has tripled in the past 70 years. American citizens point their fingers at fast food franchises because of the increasing rate of childhood obesity; Americans do not realize that it is most likely the parents who are to blame because parents are the root of children’s biggest role models, parenting style, and parent’s behaviors.

In the article “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home,” Daniel Weintraub argues that it is the parents, not anybody else, who are responsible for teaching kids healthy eating and exercise habits. He also states that, “It’s the fault of the parents who let their kids eat unhealthy foods and sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time.” His argument that parents are to blame for childhood obesity is correct to a certain extent but he fails to realize that fast food company’s marketing and advertising to young children also plays a big part in the problem.

Many studies have shown the increasing trend in early childhood obesity over the past few decades. But in recent years that trend has begun to level out and even decrease in some cases. In this paper, these trends will discussed along with the health implications that follow childhood obesity, how big of a problem it has become, as well as how to fix the problem and what we can do in the future to prevent this problem.

One of today’s major problems is the prominence of obesity in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the definition of a body mass index of 30.0 or higher as being obese. When analyzing this data, one in three U.S. citizens is obese and one in twenty are considered extremely obese. The Obesity Action Coalition has also announced that between the 1970s and today, fast food restaurants have double at the same rate as obese Americans. (Carey) While this is not all the fault of the restaurant, there is a correlation between cheap fast food with no nutrition and obesity. With this data, you’d think that steps would be taken to protect our youth but instead, fast food restaurants now tend to pop-up around schools and low-income neighborhoods. At the same time, fast food companies have spent about $4 billion in a year to advertise with a target on children ages six to eleven. (Fast

Childhood obesity has become a growing health concerns in the heart of American population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2015) estimates that 1 in 3 American children aged 6 – 11 years old were either overweight or obese in 2013 which is a staggering increase from 7 percent in 1980 to 18% to date. It is scary to know that childhood obesity is one of the leading factors to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in later life according to American Heart Association. To further address the childhood obesity in American, a look at childhood obesity in the community of Langley will be examined and

Childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. Many people may say it is the Child’s fault, he is weak willed. This is just a common misconception; there are hundreds of different reasons for childhood obesity. I will just be scratching the surface of this paper. By the same token childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. We can achieve this by understanding some common misconceptions, understanding health problems, and understanding fitness.

Fast food advertisement agencies take advantage of the ignorance of children to scam them into wanting unhealthy meals. Each year, the fast food industry spends over $3 million of advertising targeted towards children. Half of television advertisement is used during children’s shows and with cartoons. Out of all the factors

Today, fast food restaurants are often blamed for childhood obesity. This is however a simplistic point of view, there are a number of factors that contribute to the current epidemic of childhood obesity. When all is said and done, the responsibly of teaching children healthy eating habits and encouraging regular exercise to mitigate this problem lies with parents.