Childhood Obesity Epidemic Summary

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 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 a serious medical condition that is affecting children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height and can result in serious medical conditions. The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased significantly over the past ten years. Childhood diabetes has been on the rise since the early 90’s and continues to rise. In the article, “Don’t Blame the Eater” David Zinczenko, shows that “ Before 1994… only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity-related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today...Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (463). Type 2

The question that has been debated for years is who is responsible for the children’s weight. In the articles that where researched during this paper the parents were responsible. The reason that they were responsible was because the decisions that parent make about their family and the lifestyle that they live affects their child’s health and it can also affect their health in the future. When you move out of your parent’s house you tend to mimic things that they did such as if they always bought Tide as their laundry soap when you got out on your own you probably bought Tide. Now when you were in a pinch one time you may have tried another brand because it was cheaper but for the most part you revert back to what you know. As a parent you should want your children to be as healthy as they can be a lot of parents that where talked to while researching the subject of childhood obesity seemed to just not have the knowledge about obesity.

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

Parents are also the ones that show their children to blame someone else instead of them. In paragraph 4 it says, “But the danger in well-meaning studies and, even more, in lawsuits against the fast food industry, is that they send a message to parents and kids alike that obesity is somebody else’s fault.” In the article, “The battle against fast food begins in the home,” Daniel Weintraub says that the center’s opinion does not matter until parents realize that child obesity is their fault and stop blaming others. Paragraph 12 says, “But none of the center’s other ideas are likely to do much good until parents understand and accept their role in fighting the

My main reason why I truly believe that the parents are the ones to blame for children being obese, is because in the end they are the ones in charge of seeing what their children will eat at home. The parents are the ones that go grocery shopping. They decide what they will buy, not the children. It could be nutritional food, full of vitamins and proteins. If not then, it’s the easy way out. Meaning they buy chips, candy, and sugary drinks. in paragraph five of Weintraub’s article it included that, “It’s the fault of parents who let their kids eat unhealthy foods and sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time.” If only the parents would teach their children to care about what they eat or that exercising is important, we wouldn’t have this problem.

In Laura Dawes book, Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic specifically the chapter titled, “Fat Kids Go to Court,” the author examines various aspects of the food industries role in the childhood obesity epidemic. Dawes explores specific actions taken by children’s advocacy groups as well as junk food companies response to the groups attacks on their industry. The author also highlights the role future litigation could take in changing the advertising tactics as well as possible food reformulation by food industry powerhouses.

“Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese” states (Children and Teens, 1). Yes, one fourth of all children in the United States are obese, and inevitably this number will continue to rise. Obesity is one of the most obvious conditions to recognize, yet one of the most difficult to treat for quite a few reasons (Children and Teens, 1). Childhood obesity has been an epidemic in the United States for many years, but has recently skyrocketed, due to lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices among children in America.

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).

The nation has developed a cheap food model. The kind of food Americans eat is the kind that is most profitable, commercial. This source of nutrition has caused over eighteen percent of children in the nation to become obese or overweight. If the obesity epidemic is not taken seriously the nation will have to pay the price. Not only adults but future generations are at a higher risk of developing severe heart conditions earlier than past generations. If improvements are not made, our children will die younger than us.

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.

There is a new epidemic running through the U.S. This epidemic is childhood obesity. In the last ten-twenty years, more and more children have become obese/overweight. A study done by the CDC states, “The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.” With all epidemics, there is a rush for a quick fix. The quick fix for this epidemic is liposuction, but after a couple months they regain the weight. They then tried dieting, some patients try to diet but keep going back to eating unhealthy and keep the weight on. There is one more thing they can

Parents should be aware that if they let their kids eat fast fastfood or any unhealthy food, the kid would end up being overweight. Parents should teach kids the importance of eating right in order to prevent obesity later in life. Kids usually pay attention on what they eat. They only get distracted by the media and what the media advertise, and all they advertise are usually unhealthy food. The kids often let their parents buy them what they see in the media. Instead the parents should buy snacks which are healthier version. Brody also tates in her article that “for those who become obese by age 10 or 11, he or his co-authors said, family based programs are needed to keep overweight from carrying over into adult hands” (20”. This shows that not only adults are eating unhealthy but even the kids are eating junk food that causes them to be overweight. The parents aren't really doing anything to stop the kids from eating unhealthy food. Parents should start to raise their kids in a proper way and feed them healthy food and encourage the kids to go

Parents are at fault for childhood obesity. The job of a parent is to teach a child wrong from right, including their