Essay about Childhood Obesity: An Epidemic

Sadly, childhood obesity has more damaging effects than just what is visible on the exterior. When children become overweight they put themselves at great risk for certain conditions that were once thought to be rare in children, these conditions include type 2 diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Other conditions include orthopedic damage, like stress on the joints caused by excess weight and skin damage like heat rashes and monilial dermatitis. As well, children and adolescents who are obese put themselves at risk of becoming obese adults. Overweight adults are at an even greater risk to suffer from potentially life threatening conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and certain forms of cancer. Overweight adults are also at risk for type 2 diabetes.

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

Over the child’s lifetime and not reversing the trend of obesity could impact them in many ways. The child in adult hoof can be ill or chronically ill, to have an unfavorably impact on their jobs earning potential, and to be bed ridden or die prematurely. Many organ systems and multiple organ systems are effected from obesity, these effect metabolic and physiological changes to the child and most of them time the trend follows to adulthood. This increases the risk for disease and death just in 2000 as a whole “it was estimated that 400,000 deaths were attributed to poor diet and physical inactivity in the United States” (Koplan, Liverman, Kraak 67). This number will keep going up every decade if we keep letting our children eat improperly and not exercise

viii. Fast foods are high in calories, provide less fruits and vegetables, and are packed with sugar, fat, and sodium

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

Childhood obesity is more than a major issue in the United States: it is an epidemic. The number of overweight and obese children in America has increased at an alarming rate over the past years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years [1]. American Heart Association stated, “Today one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963” [5]. Unfortunately, this affects our children physically, mentally, and long-term.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that goes on throughout the United States. Studies have shown how obesity in children may start, and how it affects each and every child in America. Childhood obesity has been getting attention in the media from famous celebrities all the way to the First Lady of the United States. There are many things that cause childhood obesity and very few ways to stop it. However, there are people out there who are trying to help by getting children active, eating healthy and getting back on track to having a healthy and long life.

A. The child obesity epidemic remains a major public concern in the United States and other countries.

Childhood obesity it is a huge problem. Over the past years, the number of obesity in children has increased. The number of obese children in the U.S. has increased over the past years. The number has obviously also grown due to the video games, computers, and televisions, which are considered to be needed now-a-days, and have begun to take over the importance of exercising. The lack of exercise can lead to obesity, which approaches lots of negative effects. Obesity continuously puts these children at a very high risk of developing many serious illnesses like high blood pressure, asthma, and many more. Even though there are many things that get in the way that can make obesity hard to slow down or stop children from being obese, there are

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.

More and more children are suffering from the chronic condition of obesity (Serrano). Children become overweight when they consume more calories than they burn while partaking in physical activity (“A Growing Problem”). Of the six most vulnerable times in life for the development of obesity, five affect children and teens (Berg 34). Educating the people of America about acknowledging the presence of a weight problem, the history of this problem, and the physical and emotional effects of childhood obesity could potentially minimize this issue and improve children’s lives.

The childhood obesity epidemic is the result of many factors.1 The childhood obesity is becoming a major concern in the United States because this leads to chronic disease conditions into adulthood.

Recent statistics have shown that childhood obesity has reached global epidemic status. In the United States alone, approximately 34% of adolescents and young adults are considered obese or overweight (Pbert et al, 2013). The rates are equally concerning across the world and appear to have rates that are disproportionate among minorities and low-income families. The root causes include factors that are genetic, environmental, societal and developmental, but it is largely caused by controllable factors such as unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity. The condition is fraught with significant risk factors such as depression, low-esteem and a further increased risk of becoming obese adults. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of adult-onset diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Pbert et al, 2014).

The biggest loser is one of the reality television programs that aimed to reduce the contestant body weight and gain healthy lifestyle. From this reality television programs lot of overweight people assemble to enter this competition. If it being looked deeper with or without we realizing, obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, and all this evidence suggests that the situation is likely to get worse. In developed regions such as Europe, the United States of America, and in Australasia, the prevalence is high and increasing but in some developing countries even more extreme situations exist. For example, using World Health Organization standards for obesity, more than 70% of the adult Polynesian population in Samoa are

Obesity can be defined as an abnormal increase in the proportion of fat cells, mainly in the viscera and subcutaneous tissues of the body (Mosby, 2010). The official medical measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), an index of an individual’s weight relative to height. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30 (World Health Organisation, 2015). New Zealand (NZ) ranks 3rd highest for obesity rates amongst OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries with 1 in 9 children classified as obese (Statistics New Zealand, 2015). The rate of childhood obesity in NZ has increased from 8% in 2006/7 to 11% in 2014/15 (Ministry of Health, 2015). Obesity is of particular concern amongst children due to the association with a wide range of health conditions and an increased risk of early onset illness. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults and have impaired glucose tolerance and hypertension at a younger age. Obesity in children is also associated with asthma and musculoskeletal problems as well as mental health problems due to low self-esteem and depression (Ministry of Health, 2015). This essay will discuss the environmental factors that aid the prevalence of this health issue. Also, discussion will be had about the environmental worldview that is reflected by this situation. Lastly, the role of government laws and policies in the management of this issue will be analysed.