Childhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity Essay

Do you get enough exercise? Are you sure about that? Or how about this, are you overweight, do you even know? Today’s adolescents don’t. In fact today’s adolescents face serious risk from their lack of activity. Today’s children are obese because they have developed some very bad habits related to healthy living and as result can suffer serious physical and psychological damage.

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.

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.

Us Americans love to eat food and eat more than we need to. We tend to snack and constantly eat even when we even arent hungary. Childhood obesity has brought many problems for kids and has allowed them to suffer from things. Surgeon general Richard states that “Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physcial inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parent.” Childhood obesity is increasing among the years, it tends to have many health effects, environmental causes, theories, and many reasons on how to prevent it.

Childhood obesity in America has been a big topic in the last decade. Within the United States and the high drive society we have, more people every year are eating improperly. The improper diet we are feeding our children is slowly killing them. Chicken, broccoli, and carrots are getting substituted for McDonalds and Burger King. The numbers do not lie every year more and more children are becoming obese, big question is why? How can we combat this epidemic? And how can we reverse these trends? Obesity leads to many problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, coronary vascular disease, heart attack, stroke, and even some cancers. This is why through statistical analysis, proper diet, and proper exercise we can combat this slippery slope that is slowly killing our children, obesity.

Today, about one in every three children, in America, are obese or overweight. Child obesity is a health issue where a child is obese for their body mass index (BMI). A child has to be in between the eighty-fifth and ninety-fifth percentile to be considered overweight. According to (heart.org), ”The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011.. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.” (heart.org) Child Obesity is an increasing problem in the United States due to poor nutritional habits, lack of physical exercise and an increase in availability of fast food. Child obesity also leads to long term physical and mental health problems. Although, there are many negative effects of child obesity, there are slight changes that can be made to slow or stop childhood obesity. Prevention can be managed by keeping a balanced diet and staying active.

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.

The cause of childhood obesity is widely debated. There are some who believe childhood obesity is caused by socioeconomic factors while others believe it is caused by media marketing junk food to children. As a response to this ongoing debate, food markers, mainly fast food, try to defend themselves by blaming childhood obesity on physical inactivity and the lack of parental influence on a healthy diet. Despite what many researchers may believe, childhood obesity is caused by a combination of key factors. According to a well-written article by Erica Roth, Childhood Obesity, she along with other doctors believes that obesity could be caused by many different factors. Some may include “family history, many psychological factors, and lifestyle” (Childhood Obesity). However, the causes of childhood obesity are not limited to these life threatening factors, childhood obesity is almost always

Children are our future, and therefore, everyone should protect the young community. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that should be prevented. Children have the right to live a long, healthy life. However, the rise of obesity is affecting the young community. Childhood obesity attains negative repercussions. Yes, doctors have found many ways to combat obesity. As a matter of fact, they emphasize how important one’s health is. It is crucial to acknowledge that obesity alters a child’s health. Obesity has the power to affect a child mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Obesity is not a disease. It is a condition where our body stores excessive fat and affects our health or well-being. Childhood obesity is becoming a threat to society because of its prevalence. Obesity reduces life expectancy. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States. The number of obese children has increased and doubled within two decades. (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, 2+.) The childhood obesity epidemic requires more prevention focused on the first five years of a child’s life because it is the period where rapid growth and developmental changes occur.

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.

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

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.

There was a time when chubby children were considered cute. It was assumed that their baby fat would melt away and a healthy adult would emerge. We now know that childhood obesity can be very harmful for our nations children. Not only can obesity cause health problems but also psychological problems. In observing the causes of childhood obesity, hopefully we can slow down the epidemic.

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.