How Does Not Play A Good Role On Children 's Physical Development?

Because of parents using food as a reward, many children learn that being good means eating unhealthy. Combined with the advertising techniques used by the fast food industry, children begin to make a correlation between fast food and a reward. Ellen Gustafson further confirms that fast food contains “more refined grains, fats and oils and sugars than the 1980’s.” All of these components of fast food make it appealing to children. Furthermore, many parents do not have time to make healthy meals for their children because of our fast-paced society. As David Zinczenko relates in Don’t Blame the Eater, “lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. Then, as now, these were the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal.” This is not a rare situation. Many parents work long hours and therefore encourage their kids to eat fast food instead of taking the time to teach healthy habits. This has the ripple effect of overeating and lack of exercise. Without exercise, many kids gain weight, become obese or are at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and asthma. (Childhood Obesity) Today, type 2 diabetes exists in 30% of childhood obesity. (Zinczenko 154) Gustafson further states in her presentation “1/3 of American children are overweight and obese.” When a child has obesity, their ability to participate in everyday activities like sports and play is inhibited, which means

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .

In the twenty-first century, sometimes both parents work full time, leaving less time for cooking.  The present lifestyle is much more upbeat, on-the-go, and rushed.  In the article, "Obesity," from TeensHealth quotes, "Cars dominate our lives, and fewer people walk or ride bikes to get somewhere" (2).  Trying to save time, families tend to pick-up fast food for snacks and dinner or prepare meals that are quick and more fattening.  Both of these efforts result in consuming more calories.  Children that do not participate in after school activities or sports tend to play computer/video games or watch television.  These interests result in less physical activity and less calories burned.  According to statistics quoted in Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in Youth, "American children spend an average of more than seven hours per week watching videotapes and more than five hours per week playing videogames" (273).  Both fast food and less physical activity are credited with the growing number of overweight and obese people.

Childhood obesity is a major cause for concern within the United States. This is mainly due to children not getting the require nutrition that they need. Although study show that there is a decrease in obesity in children, it still remains at an all-time high. Children are failing to eat as healthy as they should, and it has become an even bigger problem now that they aren’t getting the require amount of food in their diets. The USDA made a decision a couple of years ago to reduce the amount of food given to children while they are at school. This hurts them tremendously, because the majority of the food they eat comes from being at school all day. The other half lies on the parents when they go home and eat dinner. It is very important for children to eat healthy and eat the required amount of food according to various dietary guidelines. First Lady Michelle Obama has started a new campaign to help kids and parents combat obesity in children. One thing that the campaign has placed emphases on is getting healthier food within school. Although they are getting healthier foods in school they are beginning to change the proportion they are giving students. Through the First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign students should be giving healthier foods and also be allowed to have the correct proportion to help them maintain a healthy diet.

Today’s generation of children is the most inactive and obese in all of U.S. history (Loonin, 54). Poor exercise habits are developed as early as preschool age (All children above the age of 2 should be getting at least an hour of exercise a day in order to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight (Overweight and Obesity, 2). Many young children have become accustomed to staying inside and using electronics, where they do not have to exert much energy whereas going outside and playing would. The average child in today’s society spends up to

To touch on poor nutrition, research shows that almost one-third of U.S. children between the ages of four and nineteen eat fast food every day; this results in weight gain of approximately 6 extra pounds on a growing child each year (NACHRI, 2007). Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970. Not only is fast food an issue, but when parents reward their children with sugary foods and/or use fruits and vegetables as a punishment, this may cause children’s views toward nutritious food to be negative. Some great educational tools that can be shared both in and out of the classroom are “The Food Guide Pyramid” and “My Plate.” Both show that appropriate number of serving of each food category. “My Plate” does a great job of even providing games, activity sheets, kid-friendly recipes, and physical activity tips to elementary aged children (My Plate, 2015). They also provide great resources for adults so parents and educators can practice what they preach and set good examples for children. Educating children on an what a healthy diet consists of and why it is important is probably the greatest preventative tool we can use to prevent obesity. As the famous saying goes, “knowledge is

In a research article by Gee, Chin, Ackerson, Woo & Howell, (2013) from the years of 1970 to 2000 the pediatric population in the U.S. tripled in obesity rates, interestingly from the year 2000 – 2010 BMI’s have held steady yet a staggering 30.4% of this population were either overweight or labeled obese. Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) performed a research study in 2001, which had three goals related to the study

This can encompass multiple factors, but the largest factor are a lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Children are now spending more time playing video games, and watching television, both of which drastically increase their sedentary time. Their lack of exercise at home could also be from the fact that for many families, including low income families in poorer neighborhoods don’t have avvess to safe or desirable physical activity locations. In addition, children are also consuming more processed, saturated foods, which not only affects their weight, but also their healthy development. This is in part to families being unaware of the health risks, and because children are often more exposed to unhealthier foods through advertisements according to the CDC. It is well known that children are often do not have the ability to choose their diet, not do they have the knowledge to fully grasp the negative consequences of their sedentary lifestyle. With so many factors contributing to young student’s lifestyle, it is easy to understand how the childhood obesity crisis quickly came about.

Individuals and groups in support of the government intervening in order to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity claim that, “parents who strive to keep their kids healthy may not have all the tools they need to do so” (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). Therefore supporters agree that the government “should step in and enable parents to do the best job they can” (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). Joe Thompson, “director of the Rober Wood Foundation Center to prevent Childhood Obesity” claims that not all parents are able to have full control on what their children eat as well as how much they exercise (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). He claims that some families do not live in neighborhoods where “fresh produce” are inexpensive and readily available (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). In addition, Thompson states that, along with the foods children eat, parents are also not in full control of how much physical activity their children are involved in (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). He asserts that, “you can’t say to a parent, ‘your child should exercise more’ if there’s no PE in school” (“Childhood Obesity.” Issues & Controversies). It is apparent that not all parents have the money as well as a strong influence in order to guide their children into forming a healthy lifestyle that involves clean eating and engaging in physical exercise. Because of a parent’s lack of time, money, and other resources to keep

“Total costs for childhood obesity are estimated at eleven billion for children with private insurance and three billion for children with Medicaid (Mulheron, Joyal, Vonasek 13).” According to Centers for Disease and Prevention, childhood obesity is a medical condition in which weight significantly exceeds what is normal for age and height (Crothers, Kehle, Bray, Theodore 787). Childhood obesity is calculated according to a child’s body mass index. The formula used to calculate body mass index is formed by dividing children’s weight by their height squared. Therefore, every child’s body mass index is then compared to a standard chart, averaged from other children in the same age category. “Children whose BMI exceeds 25-30 kg/m2 are

In the United States, obesity is currently one of the largest issues in our society. Sugary sodas, fatty foods, and lack of exercise are the main causes of this issue. Not only does obesity affect adults, but it affects young children as well. In 2012, it was reported that two-thirds of adults in the United States are considered overweight or obese. It was also reported that 31.8% of children and teenagers in the United States are considered overweight or obese as well. Young children are naturally attracted to foods high in sugar, calories, and sodium, but many parents fail to moderate their child’s intake of these potentially harmful items. Generally, a person’s eating habits begin to develop at a young age. If children are taught to eat healthy foods, it will most likely be a lifestyle they will maintain for the rest of their lives. Sometimes this can be a very difficult task, but teaching children to exercise can make it much easier. Many people in the United States do not take the time to partake in physical activity because they simply do not have the time or do not feel it is necessary. Although this is a common belief, exercise is extremely beneficial to the human body in a variety of ways and this essay will further explain how.

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic. Nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) in the United States is overweight or obese, putting them at risk for serious health problems. Studies show that overweight kids are likely to become overweight and obese adults. This is a significant issue in the U.S. and needs to be monitored closely. Some parents are in denial that their children are obese and do not do anything to help or prevent it. When obesity is a problem at a young age it is very easy to have, it become a habit all throughout their life.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic across the world, and has become a rapidly increasing problem in the US. In the past thirty years, the obesity rate for children aged 12-19 has quadrupled, and it has doubled in children aged 6-11 (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). When compared to the lifestyle of an average 13 year old thirty years ago, today’s lifestyle is one that seems to stack the cards against them. Thirty years ago, kids participated in recess and gym class daily, today those programs are being cut in order to allow for academics. Children thirty years ago enjoyed fast food only on occasional and typically ate a home cooked meal, with a wide range of food groups and smaller portions (Let 's Move!, 2010). Kids no longer walk to school for a multitude of reasons, and they often opt to come home from school and play their favorite video game or watch their favorite show instead of playing a game outside like children who grew up 30 years ago did. There are also factors that contribute to obesity that may be out of the children’s control. Often times children aren’t in charge of what they eat or what activities they participate in (Haelle, 2013). Socioeconomic factors may also contribute to childhood obesity (Wang, 2001) yet another factor that the children themselves cannot control. While there may be many reasons why we see a spike in childhood obesity, there are also things that we can do to fix the problem.

Obesity among children is at an all time high at nearly 18% of all children in 2012 being obese compared to 7% in 1980. One could credit this to many things, but one obvious reason is that the majority of the time that was once spent outside participating in physical activities has been replaced by hours upon hours of video games, television, and the internet accompanied by junk food and unhealthy beverages. Supporters of the Let’s Move! campaign say that many modern day children are not given the opportunity to eat more nutritious foods and get physical exercise, but if they were given such opportunities,

The problem of obesity is widespread. One in four American children under the age of five have a body mass index (BMS) that shows that children are either overweight or obese (Natale, et al., 2013).