Childhood Obesity : A Major Problem Essay

Childhood obesity is a major public health epidemic which has significantly risen over the past three decades and there is no chance in sight of slowing it down unless real action is taken. This major health crisis continues to reduce individuals’ quality of life and has caused severe health problem like heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. In most cases, obese children grow up to be an obese adult. The prevalence of childhood obesity can be addressed through education initiatives such as school prevention programs because children spent a majority of their time outside of the home at school, therefore school provides a great opportunity to educate and improve a child’s health at an ideal point before the problem gets worst. My paper will focus on childhood obesity prevention in Hill Top Middle school Lodi, New Jersey.

Childhood obesity is becoming an increasingly severe problem in today’s society. This portfolio aims to explain different causations of childhood obesity, and evaluate the interventions that have been put in place to combat the issue.

Childhood obesity is a huge problem facing America today. It’s like an epidemic, spreading across America at alarming rates. Just in the past 30 years, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled among children and quadrupled among adolescents. Today, it has been estimated that one in every six children or adolescents is obese ("Childhood Obesity Facts”). And if things don’t change soon, those numbers will just keep rising. This isn’t a problem that we can leave up to children to deal with themselves. Parents and adults need to take responsibilities for children’s health and futures. Children or adolescents who have a body mass index of over 30 are considered to be obese. Too much body fat can lead to many negative

Throughout the last twenty years there has been an increasing trend of childhood obesity. The trend of childhood obesity is highly discussed more than ever before because prior to 1980 there was not a pandemic of childhood obesity (Type 2 Diabetes, 2015, para. 2). Moreover, many people lack the knowledge of how harmful childhood obesity is and how it can negatively affect their children in numerous ways. However, it is important to realize that there is more than one factor that leads to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is an increasing trend that supports a sedentary lifestyle and puts children at risk of social criticism, which can impact a child’s social skills negatively. For example, “obesity increases the likelihood of

In today’s society, there has been a plethora of achievements in technology, medical advancement, and educational platforms. However, with these new, exciting gateways has come several issues, some of which have become very serious. One of the most important hot button issues is childhood obesity. In fact, statistics show that since the 1970’s, the obesity rate in children’s ages range two to five in the United States, has increased over five percent alone, as well as over ten percent in children in age ranges between twelve to nineteen in 2008 (Gale Encyclopedia of diets, 2013). With this serious issue facing the United States, it leads to question: why have children in the United States become so obese and what strategies have been implemented to curve this often-outrageous statistic? The cause of childhood obesity can be blamed on several factors that affect all areas of the child’s life. Factors including the home lifestyle and parent accountability, outside the home in school where implementation and access of unhealthy foods and beverages far exceeds their nutritional counterparts, as well as an increased portion size are adding to this overall problem. To combat the issue, many states have implemented programs specifically aimed at childhood obesity to prevent the future health risks associated with this medical issue. Also, suggestions are being acquired for schools and parents alike to assist in getting the obese target below the national level

There is an epidemic so fierce, it is impacting families from California to Maine. It is not the

Would you like to super-size this meal for an extra $.39? That is a question far too many Americans hear everyday. People in this country are getting fatter and fatter. "In a study conducted by the independent Institute of Medicine (IOM), the prevalence of obese children age 6 to 11 is three times as high as 30 years ago," (Arnst and Kiley, 2004). Additionally, 31% of the total U.S. population is classified as obese (Tiplady, 2005). As obese kids move through adolescence and into adulthood, their risk for health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes increases greatly (surgeongeneral.gov, n.d.). To tackle this

According to the article, “Children’s Life Expectancy Being Cut Short by Obesity” from the New York Times, the current generation may have a shorter life span than their parents.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. Many experts like doctors and dietitians have narrowed the epidemic to a few causes some being lack of exercise, genetics, and food insecurity. Exercise and genetics could lead to obesity in the way that you need exercise to burn fat and some people are genetically more inclined to store more fat. Obesity is having excessive amount of fat that could lead to other health problem which is scary to think that childhood obesity is something that is on the rise in America. When you think of children you think of them being happy and healthy not being overweight and having health problems that most people get in their 50’s. I believe that food insecurity is the main cause for obesity and I will be arguing the stance that food insecurity is a leader in childhood obesity. Food insecurity is being without reliable access to obtain food that is high quality and nutritious. Some people may confuse food insecurity with hunger, but hungry is a physical discomfort. In discussion of food insecurity, one of the controversial issues has been if it is linked to childhood obesity. On the one hand, some Americans argue that food insecurity and childhood obesity have no association. On the other hand, some Americans argue that there is an association between food insecurity and childhood obesity. I personally believe that there is an association between food insecurity and childhood obesity.

A child that is considered average on a pediatric growth chart is called skinny, skin and bones, and underweight by both peers and adults. How could this be? Society as a whole has become overweight and has normalized obesity to the point that a child with typical measurements for their age and height suddenly becomes atypical in the eye of the beholder. This raises the question: Why is childhood obesity on the rise, and what effect does it have on their generation? Although many people blame the extra pounds on genetics, the truth is that children are obese because they are eating unhealthy, they have inactive lifestyles, and they are under educated about their own bodies.

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.

America will overall be a more respectable country because the stigma of obesity will not plague our country. Fifthly, the psychological stress that obese people are predisposed to will be alleviated because there will be less social discrimination. Sixthly, healthy lifestyle choices will be promoted to the next generation which would lower the childhood obesity rate as well. There are many other advantages of living healthier lives. One opposition to my proposal is that it would cost a lot of money to fund these camps, and this statement is partially true. However, these camps will be funded by the members using money that they would normally dedicate to spending on junk food. Furthermore, I have heard a plethora of ideas from others about

Obesity rates in the United States are alarming, with more than one-third of U.S. adults and 17% of children qualifying as obese with a Body Mass Index greater than 30.0 (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Even more frightening is the growth rate of this crippling health epidemic; between 1980 and 2014, obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children (CDC, 2015). The physical consequences of rising obesity rates in our country include an abundance of physical ailments including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and even some cancers. Additionally, obesity-related health care costs to our country are estimated at $147 billion annually, plus the costs of productivity lost at

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.

Childhood obesity has increased drastically over the past years and has become a high health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and doctor’s diagnose a patient by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. Since little effort has been put forward to prevent childhood obesity the existence of this disease has begun to skyrocket in numbers. The number of children who suffer from obesity have greatly increased over the years so, people have to come up with a solution to prevent obesity. However, it will take more than just one solution to prevent childhood obesity, it will take many. Without the prevention of obesity future generations could be in serious trouble with health issues. Childhood obesity should be prevented by showing the youth that healthy will benefit them in life, therefore, parents start by guiding children in the correct direction with their eating habits, limit their fast food intake, and fight the market for unhealthy foods so that children are not exposed to unhealthy options.