Childhood Obesity Case Study

“The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake” a quote made by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, as she launches her comprehensive initiative to change the way children think about nutrition and physical fitness (“Learn the Facts,” 2010). Three decades ago, children lived active lives that kept them healthier. They walked to and from school, ate home cooked, reasonable portion meals with vegetables and played outdoors most of the time. Today, children ride the bus instead of walk, eat more fast food and snacks throughout the day because parents are busier, and watch more television or play video games rather than be active outside with peers (“Learn the Facts,” 2010). Young children are becoming overweight and obese along with being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more frequently. They are making poor dietary choices, inadequate physical activity, and spending too much screen time all contributing to the obesity crisis. One of the effective solutions to reversing the trend of childhood obesity is to provide safe, affordable and accessible after-school health and physical fitness educational programs for all school ages across the nation.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Increasing physical activity among youth is an essential component of the broad strategy needed to curb the obesity epidemic” (CITATION). The AAP goes on to encourage different forms of physical activity, whether it’s joining a sport, taking part in extracurricular activities or even participating in gym class and to start this routine from childhood. When experimenting to see the impact that sports and extracurriculars made on a person’s health, they stated, “Our findings supports previous research demonstrating sports were related to substantially lower risk of both overweight/obesity and obesity” (CITATION). While other factors play a big part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, childhood is a crucial point because that’s when the body is nurturing, which is why there should be more budgeting towards helping those who are unable to

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").

Childhood obesity is a major health condition that is effecting many middle-aged students in America. Obesity has been an issue in America for over the past few decades. It is important to find a way to fix this problem. Luckily, there are plenty ways to heal this issue. This essay discusses the reasoning behind childhood obesity, and how physical education and government involvement in schools can help prevent obesity. The requirement of every state in America to introduce physical education into elementary schools will also help solve this problem. Developing the younger population is very important because one day they will become the future leaders, making health related decisions that will affect the entire American population.

I will be researching childhood obesity in the United to states because I want to better understand the cause's and how it can be prevented.  I have chosen to research childhood obesity to help my readers understand the influence they may have in children's lives and in their future. By asking questions such as, when does the onset of child hood obesity occur, I hope to find out what social institutions play the biggest role. With social institutions comes the question of relevance of socioeconomic status, and the impact that has. I lastly will be asking the question of the long term effects of childhood obesity. My goal is to understand why so many

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America and it is important to develop a plan to combat the issue. My plan is to stop childhood obesity in its roots by encouraging schools to promote healthy eating and exercise. I would institute programs in schools (via contacting government officials, making presentations to schools, etc.) to educate kids about the proper nutrients they need to maintain a healthy diet. Many high schools require a health class, but I think we should also require students in fifth or sixth grade to take a health class that introduces them to basic health information. By creating classes that inform students of the benefits of eating healthy early on, such eating habits will improve. Schools should also have stricter requirements on school lunches. There should be government regulations

Childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled for adolescents in the last thirty years. Obesity and overweight rates in children are higher among families living below the poverty line. The diabetes rate is higher in children living in poverty. Families that are living in poverty cannot afford the fresh produce and healthier foods due to the rising cost.

I chose this topic of childhood obesity because it is a something that I see every day. If a child is obese it is the parents fault. An obese child faces health risks and some have self-esteem problems.

What is childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is when a child is above the normal weight for his or her age and height. There is an epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States and throughout the world. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Nearly 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2010” (Child Obesity Facts). A serious medical condition affects children and adolescents. Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem in the world and unless actions are taken to prevent it, this problem will continue. Even though there are many causes such as environment, fast food,

In the U.S. there is more than 3 million cases of childhood obesity a year.

Obesity is a prodigious epidemic today in America with millions of related deaths annually. Somehow our society has come to the blame the fast food industry, the media, the government, and even the economy for our self inflicted problems. While these outside forces provide an easily accessible route to obesity, we are the only ones who are in control of our well being. Especially with children, parents are the ones who control their child’s future with every grocery store trip and meal they provide. Many parents are quick to point fingers on whose fault this rapidly growing issue is, but how many of them look in the mirror and realize their role in their own child’s health? Despite the temptations today’s society brings, parents are solely

Today obesity is shortening the lives of approximately 36 percent of Americans. Obesity is commonly measured by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Recent studies have found that one third of Americans are on the verge of type two diabetes. The common belief is that obesity is most often caused in later teen and adult years of life, when in actuality it often occurs in infancy. Many of the milk and formulas toddlers are given are very high in calories and they end up consuming many more calories than what is necessary. Research shows that if a child is overweight before the age of five they have a high risk of going through adulthood obese.

Childhood obesity epidemic is growing and becoming ever more costly in United States. More than one in six U.S. children is obese --- three times the rate in the 1970s. The main causes of excess weight in youth are similar to those in adults, including individual causes such as behavior and genetics. Behaviors include dietary pattern and physical activity. In addition to insufficient exercise, obesity results from unhealthy diet. According to the Dietary Guidelines for American, we should be eating whole grain, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low-fat and fat-free dairy products and drinking water. A poor diet containing high levels of fat or sugar and few nutrients can cause kids to gain weight quickly. Changing the eating

Perhaps the most notable campaign recently created to deal with the problem of childhood obesity is the brainchild of First Lady Michelle Obama entitled "Let's Move". Online, the "Let's Move" campaign provides resources such as My Plate to encourage children to eat a balanced diet within a normal calorie range, and gives advice about appropriate exercise daily requirements. The approach is fairly conservative (the dietary and exercise advice is accepted by mainstream scientists) but there are few concrete proposals to enact meaningful changes, other than to make better choices and to get moving.

Second, genetic factors alone can play a role in specific cases of child obesity. If a child was born into family with history of obesity, the child is more likely to develop this condition especially if high calories food is readily to eat and physical activity is not encouraged; for example, genetic factors such as Prader-Willi Syndrome is a rare disorder in obesity and affects a very small portion of children. Individuals who tend to gain weight are less likely to starve to death and more likely to pass on their genes to their children. The children with certain genes end up storing the fat more easily than other children. As a result, it is believed that many of us now carry this genetic factor. Some children are greater at risk of obesity