Childhood Obesity Prevention

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 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

Many children lack micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. Fresh food is their best source of nutrition. Children who eat vegetables and less fried food gain bone mass but not fat. Allergies can affect the nutritional state of a child, if they are not receiving the correct nutrients. Some children, normally under the age of six, insist on eating foods prepared and presented in certain ways only. This concept is known as “just right.” At middle childhood or between the ages of six to eleven, there is slower growth than during early childhood, yet the threat of obesity is still

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 in U.S. In the year of 2012, about “one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” Also, percentages of childhood obesity have increased by over ten percent in the last thirty years in children and adolescents (Childhood Obesity Facts 2015). These statistics are shocking, and many people are concerned for the health of their children. This medical condition, as defined by Mayo Clinic, leads to serious health conditions in the future in the children’s adult lives, which can only be treated with pricey medication, treatments, and surgeries (Mayo Clinic Staff 2015); some can also lead to a very short life, ending their lives in between the ages 40 and 60. Due to many studies and research, 1childhood obesity can be easy prevented early on from infancy by analyzing the causes, studying the effects and finding the solutions to the problem.

In the United States, childhood obesity is an epidemic and in the past 30 years, childhood obesity have had nearly tripled. There are 31 % of American children and adolescents are either overweight or obese. And according to the numbers, more than 23 million of American children are either overweight or obese and more than 12 million are obese (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2013).

Healthy People 2020 defines a built environment as the conditions “in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of life settings (e.g., school, church, workplace, and neighborhood)” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013, para. 5). The built environment plays a major role in physical activity and other obesity-related behaviors. According to Paxson, Donahue, Oreleans, and Grisso (2006), over the past forty years, the built environment has changed dramatically affecting healthy behaviors and outcomes such as poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity and the disproportionate burden of these health risks among certain subpopulations (Rossen & Pollack, 2012).

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 an epidemic that affects millions of People around the world and it continues to rise. A particular concern is the rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States and it has become a national epidemic. Obesity is a threat to the health of many children as it has doubled in children and has quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. According to survey on childhood obesity, 2014, “an estimated 80% of obese adolescents continue to be obese into adulthood, so the implication of childhood obesity on the nation’s health are very huge”.

Thirdly, the self-knowledge to prevent obesity is another issue. For the children, their parents’ knowledge of appropriate food will directly affect them, since their schools mainly focus on the academics of the children, and rarely on dietary education. If the parents gain knowledge to pick up healthy food for their children, their children will eat healthier and vice versa. As Cluss et al. (2013) stressed, the parents with low social economic status revealed a lack of knowledge regarding the nutrition values in common food. They just provide their children with any food that is accessible and cheap. Consequently, the children who live in low-income families represented a large portion of childhood obesity. Especially in New York City, the prevalence of childhood obesity is high in Hispanic and Black boys which may be associated with higher amount of children live in lower socioeconomic status and lack of knowledge to prevent obesity. (Thorpe et al., 20014).

The problem in society today factors in with childhood obesity. 15% of US children and teenagers are overweight, which is tripled the rate of 35 years ago. Kids are exposed to false advertising of unhealthy food which leads them to consume more of it. A survey shows that scarcely any school-age children and adolescents meet all the standards for a sound diet. Some factors that trigger a child’s obesity can include a child’ diet. Dietary factors have been studied extensively for its possible contributions to the rising

The main objective of childhood obesity interventions is to adjust body weight and fat with proper nutrition for growth and development and help maintain long-term weight. The interventions should change dietary and exercise behaviors so that more healthy behaviors develop and replace unhealthy behaviors. allowing healthy behavior to persist during development and

In more recent times childhood obesity in the United States has become a problem serious enough to take into great care. As more years pass, statistics are through the roof with an increasing number of obese children. Because America is becoming more and more technologically advanced, video games and television are being favored over outdoor activities such as bike rides and childlike games including tag and hide n go seek. Children in todays time are not experiencing the world like they should be. Their laziness is resulting in obesity. Unhealthy options of food are more exposed to children as the quicker and tastier route. Important people that the country looks up too could have an impact and need to take

Throughout time people have grown larger and larger, so what can we do to prevent this? In Arizona, obesity rates have risen since 1990 by 28.9% and Arizona was last tested to be placing 29 out of 51 states that have the biggest people. Among all these people, data show that adults have been climbing more than the elders and teenagers in today's society. It is also shown that children are becoming more obese than other kids in the nation, they ranked top 10 for ages 10-17. This affects many individuals like children specifically. How will children know how to take care of their unhealthy habits if they haven't ever trained themselves to manage their body well when they were younger? For example, an act of physical activity can encourage the

Childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. Many people may say it is the Child’s fault, he is weak willed. This is just a common misconception; there are hundreds of different reasons for childhood obesity. I will just be scratching the surface of this paper. By the same token childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. We can achieve this by understanding some common misconceptions, understanding health problems, and understanding fitness.