Obesity And Its Effects On Children

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.

Obesity is a serious, sometimes fatal condition in which a person is significantly overweight for his or her age and height. Many children suffer from this condition all over the world. Childhood obesity is one of the most increasing health threats that the United States faces. Many researchers ask how children get to be so overly obese and unhealthy. They have come up with ways to somehow prevent it; however, the rates of the growing disease have grown rapidly over the years. It causes many problems with the children’s health levels. Childhood obesity can lead to problems such as diabetes, and many different types of cancer.There may be no symptoms other than weight that is above normal. People who suffer from this illness are also trying to find a way to overcome it. Obesity does not just take a toll on the physical life of these children, but also the emotional, behavioral, and social aspect.

Access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nutritious meals is an important component in combating childhood obesity. Socioeconomic conditions can limit access to quality food for many children. Without the ability to consume nutritious, low calorie food portions children are at risk for developing health conditions.

Obesity is one of the several major public health issues that researchers attempt to find interventions for. Prevalence of obesity has been increasing throughout the years, especially in children. If prevalence and incidence of obesity continues to increase in children, long term illnesses start producing, which can hinder an individual’s life span. In addition to chronic illnesses being produced, obesity can also hinder the social and psychological wellbeing. As children are growing with obesity, they are experiencing the negative effects of their social life and psychological self, which can create chronic illnesses and prevent them from growing as an individual.

It is important for people to recognize the causes of childhood obesity. Physical inactivity is one of the major contributors to obesity in children. Therefore, physical inactivity is the primary cause of childhood obesity. “The CDC reports that high school students’ daily participation in physical education has declined 30% in the past decade. For example, in 2005, only 45% of ninth grade and 22% of twelfth grade students attended daily physical education classes” (“Cause and Effect in Childhood Obesity: Solutions for a Natural Epidemic”). Such constrained physical action during school and afterwards contribute to weight gain. Children should not avoid their physical health and should participate in daily physical activity to prevent obesity. In addition to physical education in schools, children’s attitude towards physical activity must change in order to reduce the percentages of childhood obesity. Research has shown that physical training classes would not be

As a child in elementary school, I always looked forward to one class and the was physical education. Being a little child, full of energy, I always wanted to run around and play a game of some sort. School districts are starting to cut these classes to make more time for the core classes, which are English, social studies, and math. One-third of students under the age of 17 are overweight, and 1/6 of the students, that are overweight are obese (Costanza par. 6). Cutting physical education classes are a big reason to blame for this. Many kid are not getting their recommended 60 minutes of physical activity in a day. Most kids get most of their recommended time of physical activity through physical education classes at school. So if physical

It is understood that not all children are overweight or obese. Parents of children that are of average weight argue that their child does not need to be physically active because they are not overweight. Physical activity is not targeted at individuals who are overweight; physical activity is part of a healthy lifestyle. The Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009 Report Card states that only 13% of Canadian children are achieving the recommended 90 minutes of physical activity per day (qtd. in “Fighting,” par 13). Admittedly, some children have been blessed with favorable genetics; how frequently they participate in physical activity does not make a substantial difference in weight maintenance. Nonetheless, physical fitness provides children with more than just a healthy body weight. Researchers suggest that there are other valuable health benefits associated with physical activity: “reduced blood pressure[,] increased lean muscle mass, bone mineral density and aerobic capacity[,] and improved flexibility” (“Fighting,” par. 33).

Physical activities are crucial to the health of a child and are effective in preventing and eliminating obesity. However, the majority of children in the United States do not meet the “federal guideline of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day” (Moore et al. 828). In the nation, the balance between the consumption of food and physical activity in children is lopsided toward the former with only 42% of children between the ages of six to eleven actually achieving the recommended hour of daily physical activity (Moore et al. 828). This statistic drops noticeably from 42% to 8% for teenagers, between the ages of 12 to 19 (Moore et al. 828). These staggering statistics help to express how big of an issue a lack of exercise can be in relation to a child’s weight. It is important for parents to influence their children to participate in physical activities, although a parent’s own weight status may act as an influence in this situation. A parent’s weight status affects their child’s weight status in that children generally follow in their

Fact: Many American children are or are becoming obese in the past thirty years. About fifteen percent of the U.S. children from 2 to 19 years old are considered as obese, and many more children are in a risk of becoming obese. The genetic reason causes childhood obesity in some cases, but many has become obese due to a lack of proper nutrition education and physical exercises. Childhood obesity may affect children in their adulthood. Obesity cause many diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, and lung problems. It also can be a risk of psychological damage (Brazelton, ix-x). If children aren’t educated about the food, they are more likely to be careless about food and become unhealthy physically and psychologically.

Many Americans are struggling with keeping a healthy weight, and this problem even is seen through this country’s children. Schools should educate children about obesity and the consequences it has on their bodies. Overweight children are more common in today’s society because of the bad choices parents and schools make toward feeding their children. When the time comes to make healthy decisions, children can make bad choices because of the influences brought on by their environments. Children need to be taught how to eat healthy and perform more exercises. Since children are in school many hours a day, the schools need to help end this problem by preparing healthier meals, encouraging students to exercise, and educating the students about the health problems related to obesity.

Childhood obesity, a monstrous disease that grabs the attention of its victims so effortlessly, is a frightening concern among many. Childhood obesity is a condition in which a child is extremely overweight for their particular age group. This disease has rapidly increased its victims by luring them in with mouth-watering advertisements, pleasurable menu items and amusement. To cause matters to become increasingly detrimental to their health, technology has been introduced to kids at particularly young ages causing them to become less active or sluggish. When unhealthy food items and lack of physical activity are combined, the child’s chances of health issues increase. Childhood obesity is an immense concern to parents with children who suffer with the disease, however; parents are not investing enough of their time into making substantial strides toward giving their children a healthy and active lifestyle. It is essential that parents allow it to become their leading priority to provide their children with healthy meals, daily exercise and regular visits to their doctor.

Obesity is not an unfamiliar condition to the American population. Many researches, public health efforts, policies are focusing on obesity and specially on childhood obesity.in focus in United States (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Many institutions such as CDC with its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Institute of Medicine and U.S. Department of Agriculrual and Food have provided recommendations, surveys and developed regulations for obesity (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). New surveys suggest that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and those numbers are higher for African-American and Hispanic women population. Also, about one fourth of 2-5 year olds and one-third odf school age children are overweight or obese (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Specially, African American women are at increased risk. Approximately, 56.6 % of African American women are obese of the total population (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Same goes for African American children; obesity rates are higher among African American children as compared to White children. Although the recent trend has plateaued, looking at obesity and its complications such as hypertension, heart attach, stroke, obesity in children, adolescents and adults remains an important issue.

Obesity in children is characterized by an excess amount of body fat (“Obesity in Children,” 2016). In the United States, obesity in children has become an epidemic that continues to increase at an astronomical rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), showed obesity among Hispanic children was 22.4% in 2011-2012 (“Childhood Obesity Facts,” 2015). According to a recent report conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Hispanic children are at a heightened risk for obesity and comorbidities associated with obesity (Pulgaron, Patino-Fernandez, Sanchez, Carrillo, & Delamater, 2013). Obesity in Hispanic children predisposes children and adolescents to bone and joint-related problems, social problems, sleep apnea as well as various psychological issues such as depression, negative body image, and low self-esteem (“Overweight in Children,” 2014). Obesity in Hispanic children also has a number of long-term affects primarily due to the strong correlation between childhood obesity and obesity as an adult. This places Hispanic children at an increased risk of suffering from asthma cancer, dyslipidemia, fatty liver disease, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, and type 2 diabetes (“Overweight in Children,” 2014; Pulgaron et al., 2013; Raychaudhuri & Sanyal, 2012).

The human growth rate during infancy necessitates a higher demand than any other developmental period, where kids change physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Natural processes and behavior change too, especially feeding behaviors and all have a role create current and future health issues. One of these health issues is obesity, obesity, defined as the excessive subcutaneous fat, that is named on the basis on BMI or the skinfold thickness that basically exceeds two standard deviation above the mean for age as measured by calipers over the triceps. Pediatric obesity is an international serious medical condition that impacts every society. In Oman, the number of obese children has tripled recently as the percentage

Today, it is common knowledge that physical activity is not only important to our physical health, but it also helps improve our mental health as well. But, if that’s so, then why are Americans reaching record high obesity rates? There is no one simple answer to that question, but there are solutions. Thankfully, Colorado schools have adopted and implemented a policy that requires a certain amount of physical activity in elementary schools.