Childhood Obesity Is The Constant Build Up Of Excessive Fats That Impair The Health Of A Child Essay

Obesity in America is literally a growing problem, affecting every age group. Children are the most venerable group because they have no control over where they have dinner or how often they have fast food. Parents and guardians make decisions about food and are responsible for the health of children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the last twenty years. This is concerning because Type Two diabetes is a horrible, crippling disease that is affecting children and teens dramatically whereas the disease was primarily seen in adults. Children are said to have a shorter life span than their parents for the first time ever. In the United States sixty-six percent of adults are overweight and one in

There have been studies conducted to find out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov & Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the world and can lead or result to other health complications later in life. The crucial breakdown serves as an implication of outlining childhood obesity, collaborating problems of the disease and resolutions, as well as applying critical thinking to give a complete approach to deliver information on childhood obesity. This will be done through citation of scholarly articles, samples and other modes of supporting details.

Within the last 30 years, there has been an increase in childhood obesity that is alarming for parents, health care professionals, and children advocates. This epidemic is a result of children not participating in regular exercise and eating high caloric, fast food. We can combat this epidemic by increasing the education to the family and encourage more physical activity and nutritious foods.

The new generation continues to increasingly fall under obesity’s evil spell. Although many Americans recognize that their children are obese, they fail to accept that this is an epidemic that should be controlled and given dramatic attention to. Research suggests that childhood obesity in the United States has doubled in the past decade. Despite the fact that we have necessary resources to control these statistics, Americans continue to expose their youngsters to unhealthy and fattening meals. It is no joke that America is the fattest nation in the world. Thus, preventing this serious issue should be perceived as a life-or-death situation where if we fail to control it, many more overweight children will grow up to be obese adults in the future.

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

The Obesity epidemic in America has continued due to ignorance. People are aware that eating and excessive amount of food causes obesity and obesity leads to serious health risks. According to,the Obesity Society,“Obesity puts individuals at risk for more than 30 chronic health conditions. They include: type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, gallstones, heart disease, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea GERD...and numerous cancers.”(“What is Obesity”).People have unlimited access to this information, however,millions of Americans are obese. However, if one chooses to acknowledge the issue future issues can be prevented. First lady, Michelle Obama enforced obesity prevention programs in school,such as “Myplate” .(“Team Nutrition”).By enforcing this program she is helping to prevent childhood obesity.

“Childhood obesity is an condition in which a child is significantly overweight for her or his age and height.” (Mayo Clinic) With childhood obesity rates on the rise, concern among Americans is also heightening, and rightfully so. Due to this concern, many are asking, should the government be stepping in more with childhood obesity cases? Should more regulations and laws be passed to prevent childhood obesity in our children? What can our government do to help with this devastating epidemic? The government should enact higher regulations, education, and activity levels in adolescents to prevent the rise of childhood obesity rates.

A dramatic increase in childhood obesity from previous decades gives ample reason of a need for U.S. Government involvement. Results from surveys done in 1976-1980 and 2003-2006 by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHHES), show obesity rate has increased from 5 to 12.4 percent for children between ages 2-5, from 6.5 to 17 percent age group 6-11 year olds, and from 5 to 17.6 percent for 12-19 year olds. (qtd. in Gale, 2010) These numbers show more specifically how the younger generation is affected by this crisis. According to the CDC, since 1980, childhood obesity rates have virtually tripled in size, causing for this negative turn in history. Former Senator Bill First writes in an editorial for The Hill, “For the first time in our nation’s history, our children and grandchildren are on track to live shorter

Childhood obesity is a pressing national health issue that requires policy attention at either the federal or state level. The health care costs associated with childhood obesity is staggering and according to the Duke Global Health Institute, “Childhood obesity comes with an estimated price tag of $19,000 per child when comparing lifetime medical costs to those of a normal weight child” (Duke Global Health Institute, 2014). Lack of action on the part of policymakers will only increase the number of obese children and the medical cost associated with it. The best way to address this issue is not by overt, heavy handed government action, but by policy prescriptions that indirectly influence behavior. The following three policy tools will leave

Childhood obesity has expanded tremendously within the past thirty years (CDC, 2015). It is not only a state, but also a nationwide issue. For many children, they depend on their school lunches to provide them the nutritious meals they cannot afford to have at home. As a community, we need to get our children into better shape. Not only will they become more astute, but they will also live healthier lifestyles, and have less health complications as they age. When you are overweight or obese, you are much more likely to develop health problems like heart disease, diabetes, or even a stroke. It is our responsibility as a community, state, and nation to offer nutritious meals and activities for our youth and future.

The rate of childhood obesity has grown an enormous amount over the years with more than 40 million children being overweight! That number is astonishingly high and it is very obvious that something needs to be done about this. Studies had shown in 2008 that more than 40 million children were said to be overweight and the sad truth is that they are still increasing rapidly to this day; also every 1 in 4 teenagers is said to not reach the fitness guidelines (Tanner) according to an article by Lindsey Tanner. For this problem to be resolved not only do the parents of children need to make sure their kids are staying active but also, the schools they attend need to make sure they are getting a well-balanced meal and have some type of physical activity during their school day. Each state in America is given a percentage rate on the number of obese people in that particular state. The highest ranking state is Mississippi with a percentage of 34.9 and the state ranking the least is Connecticut with 24.5 percent. Different researches have shown that each day 850 lives are taken due to obesity and each year there are more than 300,000 people that die from obesity related illnesses. These are deaths that most likely could have been avoided if these individuals would have had the proper exercise and diet in their lives.

Millions of people, both children and adults are plagued with obesity. In 2007, approximately 22 million children under 5 were overweight (Kipping, Russell, & Lawlor, 2008). This is a global concern. According Singh1, Shiapush & Kogan (2010), childhood obesity has been on the up-rise in the past few decades; therefore, pushing it to the top of the list as one of public health major concerns. In 2010, Michelle Obama initiated a movement to help fight the war against childhood obesity. This effort was in hope of reaching an entire generation so that they could be afforded the best opportunity to live a prosperous and healthy life. The projected goals were to change the attitudes and perceptions of a whole generation by changing how they view food and nutrition. According to Let’s Move! (n.d.), Michelle Obama proposed that these goals could be reached by doing five important things.

Childhood obesity recently has become an outbreak of national importance. Several studies have shown us the significant amount of evidence about the health risks facing America’s children. Without substantial action, this problem will not be solved and left as growing problem year after year. In the year of 2010, President Barack Obama signed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act in which directs to tackle the immense outbreak that is regarding all of America.  Numerous conservatives disagree with this new act and want to revoke the legislation, stating that the act is not the right way to handle this growing outbreak of childhood obesity. In spite of that, in this essay I will argue that we should maintain The Healthy, Hunger- Free Act while

While obesity is a great concern for many American adults, it is an even greater concern for American children. These children are losing years of their life by eating junk food and living sedentary lives. Obesity can prevent them from achieving their life aspirations. Fortunately, this issue has caught the attention of many people. Action is being taken to combat the issue. One example of this is the Let’s Move campaign started by the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. The campaign’s objective is to stop childhood obesity in this generation so that children can be more optimistic about their future (Ferran, 2010). However, many have questioned the effectiveness of the Let’s Move program. Due to this program’s immense issues, the U.S. government should reform the Let’s Move campaign into a campaign that is less strict on diet, more strict on physical activity, and more aware of other factors that influence childhood obesity. In this essay, I will explore the upbringing of the obesity epidemic, the objectives of the Let’s Move campaign, and the policies it has influenced to fight childhood obesity. In the bulk of my essay, I will explain how and why the Let’s Move program should change in order to better tackle the issue of childhood obesity. Furthermore, I will refute the arguments against my proposed solution.

In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.