Childhood Obesity: The Issues Concerning Prevention and Solution

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.

According to Meryl Loonin, Children are often becoming depressed from being overweight. Children are becoming depressed from getting bullied or lack of self esteem. Children at such a young age should not become depressed, it is very unhealthy if a child is depressed. Children can also develop Hyperlipidemia, High Blood Pressure, and Diabetes. Over 20 percent of children in the society have Potbelly Abdominal Obesity Syndrome. All of these effects will affect the child while they are young and even affect them as an adult. Studies have proven that children that are overweight are 10 more times likely to become obese as an adult, which will make them have major health problems. Jimerson has written about a major disease that children can develop at a young age which is called Coronary Artery Disease. This disease is known for closing up arteries and any blood flowage, it is very deadly. Children with these health effects are in danger of early death as a child or as a young adult. The health effects can be stopped if you catch them before they get

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.

Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and a shocking eleven percent of them are obese (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant). Child hood obesity is a forerunner to one of the United States greatest public health crisis. The growth of technology has had a major impact on childhood obesity. Obesity is a widespread epidemic and is getting incredibly worse as technology increases. The use of technology relates directly with childhood obesity because it has been proven that technology has made children live more sedentary lifestyles versus active lifestyles. Also, television commercials influence children to increase their food intake as well as advertise foods extremely high in sugar and fat. Childhood obesity is mainly caused because of personal lifestyle choices and environmental factors, such as where the child is living. (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant).

Childhood obesity has now reached an epidemic in several parts of the United States. As a result, children now have a higher risk to have numerous chronic and acute medical problems. Several of the long-lasting medical problems a child might face as a result of obesity could eventually result in death. In addition to chronic medical problems, childhood obesity has severe psychosocial effects on an individual such as low self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is caused by a numerous amount of factors that can eventually lead to severe health complications.

this diseases impact over the past few years. With the changing of lifestyles, the production of children who are not as healthy as they should be has increased. Due to these results, a widespread of children being obese has occurred. The Center for Disease Control, CDC, distinguishes between being overweight and being obese. Overweight simply means that the weight is high compared to others in the same height category. According to the CDC, obesity means “an excessively high amount of body fat . . . in relation to lean body mass” (CDC). There are so many factors of childhood obesity. Some might say it’s the parent and some might say that it’s from advertisements. Childhood obesity can be a combination of factors scientific, genetic, cultural, or even environmental. The debate over childhood obesity and its factors has been going on for decades.

First and foremost, childhood obesity affects a child in many forms. Sadly, parents do not monitor what their children consume, and as a result, obesity takes over their lives.

Childhood obesity is not just a hefty problem this country is facing, it’s an epidemic. This occurs when the child is overweight in comparison to their age and height. There are many causes which leads to this wide-range issue, factors such as eating patterns, outdoor activities, and psychological factors can lead to childhood obesity.

First of all, Overweight children are in danger of health complications for instance diabetes a type 2, was once an adult issue, not anymore, in today’s world the increasing number of kids with this problem is on the growth. If not giving the proper medical care need it can harm the life of the child, another condition due the overweight is asthma, this condition make it difficult for a child to breath normally and can aggravate the lugs, sadly to say, but children who are obese are more at risk. Just by being obese the heart works harder, and the risk of having a heart attack increases therefore, an obese kids are most likely to become an obese adult with a tremendous

Childhood Obesity has become one of the leading causes of death in our nation today. Sadly, our society in whole is one of the heaviest. Putting an emphasis on the fact that “obesity rates among children of all ages are dramatically higher then they were a generation ago” (Green). Society has made it, with little to no trouble, that kids can get what they want, when they want it. Children are unaware of the harm and trauma they are putting their bodies through at such a young age. Childhood obesity effects the lifetime of a person, and can potentially make that lifetime shortened. Little do children know, once they put on so much weight, it seems to be nearly impossible to take it off. Childhood obesity can rapidly reduce if we alter influences, education, media, the fast food industry, and most importantly, themselves. Also, “According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2004), over 16 percent of children and adolescents from six to 19 years of age are overweight and/or obese. This number has more than tripled since 1981” (Green). As a society, we need to put a stop to the influences and causes of childhood obesity because it can take over our society and cause serious issues for ourselves, and the world we live in.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is overweight and well over the normal weight for his or her age and height. Child obesity is an important issue because the extra weight can lead children down the wrong path to health problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes to name a few. Childhood obesity can cause children to become depressed and have poor self-esteem. Emotional issues such as depression and poor self-esteem are another cause of childhood obesity. Dramatic life events such as a death in the family can lead to over eating. Some children overeat as a way with coping with problems in their lives or dealing with emotions like stress or boredom (Mayo foundation). The number of obese children in America has increased dramatically over the years, and if we keep going the way we are, obesity in children will continue to grow. In order to reduce childhood obesity we need to improve the diet and exercise habits of the entire family.

Childhood obesity is characterized by excess body fat, while overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height and age, which ultimately carries significant health issues for the future. A high amount of body fat can lead to many health issues, both immediate and long-term health effects. Immediate side effects include an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, prediabetes, and increased risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and psychological issues (CDC, 2016). Long-term effects include:

Childhood obesity is a huge problem in our society, so here are two articles that researched one option to aid in the prevention of the epidemic: vegetarianism. The first article “Vegetarian Diets and Childhood Obesity Prevention” by Joan Sabate` and Michelle Wien from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 2010 vol. 91 no. 5 1525S-1529S and the second article is “Vegetarian Children: Appropriate and Inappropriate Diets” by Cathy Jacobs, MS, RD,: and Johanna T Dwyer, DSc, RD also from the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 1988 vol. 48 no. 3 811-818. The two articles address vegetarianism as an option for children and why or why not it is suitable as a solution for childhood obesity and the health benefits and risks of this particular diet.

The problem is childhood obesity. This affects 1 in every 3 children and adolescents, who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is far larger than average. BMI is a calculation using a person, of any age,  height and weight to calculate measurements that tell how healthy an individual is.  When focusing on specifically four-year-olds a study from Sarah Anderson and Temple University’s Dr. Robert Whitaker conducted a search showed that  “...more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese…” ("Childhood Obesity Facts."). This problem was created by the expansion of fast food and the overconsumption of non nutritious, and fat filled foods. It is known that a big, if not even the biggest, factor that goes into a child becoming/ being obese is what they