Modern Problems: Childhood Obesity

The prevalence of obesity in childhood is a big concern because of its adverse consequences in the short and long term. According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2010), the rise in childhood obesity for the past ten years has been very alarming. It was noted that obesity now rank as the 5th leading risk factor for death (Larsen, 2015). It is also estimated that obesity is attributed to 44% in diabetes development, 23% in ischemic heart disease and 7 to 41 % of some certain cancers (Larsen, 2015). Childhood obesity is defined as a body mass index equivalent or greater than the 95th percentile of a child's body weight or body mass index more than 30 kg/ms (WHO, 2010). Obesity identifies biologically those children who will later in life

Obesity is more than a cosmetic concern for Americans; it is a very serious health concern. It doesn’t just impact the way Americans look, this serious condition can change the course of our lives, and not for the better (American Heart Association, 2005). Childhood obesity is a national epidemic that is affecting our children and adolescents of America at high and alarming rates. It occurs when children are exceeding the normal weight for his or her age and height. Up to one out of every five children in the U.S. is overweight or obese, and one and three are obese, and this number has continually to rise (Benaroch, 2012) for over 30 years. Since 1963, kids and teens overweight issues and medical conditions are increasing at an alarming rate and unfortunately some of the same overweight and obese kids / teens become overweight / obese adults with serious health issues. Overweight kids have a 70–80 percent chance of staying overweight (American Heart Association, 2005). The most common causes for children being overweight and obese is genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of all these factors.

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health crises facing the nation as evidenced by one out of every three children in the U.S. being overweight. It should come as no surprise then that children today are less active and have less healthy diets than preceding generations. The combination of decreased activity and increased consumption of processed foods is contributing to the alarming rise of childhood obesity and ongoing attempts to decrease the obesity rate have made little impact because they fail to address the root cause. Environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors are the true barriers to a reduction in the childhood obesity rates. It is simply too narrow minded to think that merely focusing on reducing processed foods, increasing activity levels in children, and role-modeling expected behavior is enough to reduce obesity rates. Improved transportation systems, increased access to affordable healthy whole foods, development of an education program that is both culturally sensitive and focuses on changing the current food culture are the proper strategies that will reduce the childhood obesity rates in the United States.

Childhood obesity has gained a lot of attention in the last 15 years. Obesity is also so much more than just being fat; it is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescent. Before they reach the age of five, 40 million of the world's children will become obese. According to Primary Health Care, “one in three children is overweight, very overweight or obese” (Bishop 12). Childhood obesity is a well known health issue in society today. Some may think of it as a disease such as cancer, but others disagree with this. According to a Health Progress, “Obese youth also are more likely to have pre-diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and behavioral and psychological problems” (Donahue 80). The progression of childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a modern day health issue that has received a lot of attention in recent years. Despite the issue’s well-acknowledged morbidities, the rates of childhood obesity continue to climb (Hawkins, 2015, p. 4). Health care professionals, community leaders, government agencies, and parents have become concerned that today’s obese children will turn into tomorrow’s obese adults with the burdens correlated with obesity, including chronic illness and healthcare costs. In response to the rising rates of children within our Moffett community that are obese, we have designed a program directed at educating school-aged children on making healthy choices in hope of discontinuing the recurrent increase of rates.

Obesity is posing a dilemma for adolescents in school and is often times creating a barrier

Childhood obesity is a known problem for decades. It occurs when a child is over the recommended weight for their age and height. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011-2012 there were 12.7 million children and adolescents that had obesity (Skinner & Skelton, 2014). The numbers over the years steadily increased and caused concern all across the world. Many children are being diagnosed with health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and other obesity related conditions. Childhood obesity has become a known health threat for the United States. We have an epidemic that is unfolding in front of our nation. We ask ourselves why this is becoming such a problem? Parents are good role models for children showing them healthy eating habits and how to be physically active. The school system, parents and physical activity can have an impact on reducing childhood obesity. Where do we begin to find interventions?

According to The State of Obesity (Trust for America’s Health, 2014), in the United States today, 31.8% of children are obese or overweight, 16.9% of that number are obese. Nurses are at the forefront of promoting health, so what can they do to eradicate this prevalent disease? Research by Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal (as cited in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) states that from 1980 to 2012, the percentage of overweight or obese children more than doubled, totaling to greater than one third of all children and adolescents as overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping the nation and becoming a severe problem. Besides the obvious risks of cardiovascular disease, bone and joint issues, low

Obesity is a proliferating reoccurring health problem across the globe. The reason why this health problem interests me is because there are many different factors that contribute to obesity in areas relating to culture, social, genetics, biological and even environmental aspects. “ Middle school-age children are becoming the largest age group of all overweight and obese children, with rates having tripled in the last three decades” (Hedley et al., 2004, p.233-234) and as a consequence to obesity commencing at youth, it induces an inevitable future of psychological and physical health issues for that individual. When in reality, all this can be avoided with interventions, norm changes, restrictions and educating our society. As the years progress,

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.

Obesity is not only found amongst children, it is also found in pre-teen to teenage years as well. Childhood years are the most important period of a kids life, were they learn behavior and mold into the adult they will become. Starting bad eating habits early in the childhood years sets them up for more complications later in their lives. One out of three children in the U.S are obese, which most of them will end up facing a greater risk of having medical, social, emotional problems some even end up having severe problems in school. Childhood obesity can lead to many health problems for children including diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and problems in the future.

Obesity does not exist among older people only. It can be seen among children and young adults. Childhood obesity is in fact “a medical condition that affects children and teenagers” (What is Childhood Obesity). Childhood obesity is a very serious problem that every single person throughout the world should know about and also aware of. However, some people might wonder and ask “what does overweight has to do with Childhood obesity?” According to the Childhood obesity foundation, it says that “if a child or adult stores too much fat, they can be classified as obese and a sign of childhood obesity is a weight well above the average for a child’s height and age” (What is Childhood Obesity).

One of the biggest problems causing child obesity is diet. In America, (the continental 48 states) the furthest you can be from a McDonalds is 107 miles. There are 34,392 McDonalds in the world and 14,146 of those are in the United States. When parents have no time (or are simply too tired) to cook food at home, they just pull in to the nearest McDonalds drive-thru and buy their kids a meal. each McDonald's meal is about 1,200 calories, which is about half of the recommended caloric intake. If you eat 3 meals a day, you would need to eat two very small meals or do loads of exercise to achieve the number of calories you should taking a day, not to mention how terrible McDonald's food is for your body. The second biggest problem causing child

Obese, the word that is now the defining description of a whole generation living in the United States and in other parts of the world. The growing problem of childhood obesity is slowly rising to the surface in various ways. Whether it be by the new network of My Plate or the new program of bringing the farm to the kitchen. Both of which are now being implemented in schools K-12.. Michelle Obama is the one at the head of the impactful programs. She has greatly in forced the nutritional changes to school lunches. Whether the changes are actually an improvement, who is to blame for the obesity increase, or whether it be a matter of sell focus and dollar amount is the key to stopping or making people fully aware of childhood obesity.

Obese, the word that is now the defining description of a whole generation living in the United States and in other parts of the world. The growing problem of childhood obesity is slowly rising to the surface in various ways. Whether it be by the new network of MyPlate or the new program of bringing the farm to the kitchen. Both of which are now being implemented in schools K-12.. Michelle Obama is the one at the head of the impactful programs. She has greatly in forced the nutritional changes to school lunches. Whether the changes are actually an improvement, who is to blame for the obesity increase, or whether it be a matter of sell focus and dollar amount is the key to stopping or making people fully aware of childhood obesity.