Obesity is a problem that is faced amongst many people across the world. Obesity is a serious health and societal issue that is rising at extreme rates, some may call it an epidemic in both developed and developing countries. Obesity is a global problem, with almost thirty percent of people globally are now either obese or overweight which is affecting an estimate of 2.1 billion people worldwide and it’s prevalence in the past decade has had a rapid increase. It’s a well-known fact that the odds are against children and adolescents who are obese. Not only that the children have an increased chance of being obese as adults, but the also have a much higher risk of having health issues in the long run, such as heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, various type II diabetes, and various types of cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the World Health Organization, “the escalating international epidemic of obesity is now the most significant contributor to ill-health.” Childhood obesity has had a dramatic increase over the years in which it has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The obesity percentages of the children who are aged between 6-11 years old increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. With such similar results, the percentage of adolescents that are aged 12-19 years old increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic
Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the United States in the past three decades. In 2012, roughly 17% or 12.5 million children and adolescents are overweight or obese” (“Childhood Obesity Facts,” 2014). According to the Centers of Disease Control and
In the recent decades, obesity has grown into a major health issue in the United States. Obesity in the United States has become the country with the highest rate of obesity in the world. Obesity seems not to be only found in adults anymore, appears to be found among children and it’s a serious life threatening. Childhood obesity turned into a medical situation that children are destined to suffer from psychological, health problems and health care cost that affect children’s.
Childhood obesity can lead to a life long struggle with obesity. The National Institutes of Health discovered that “The percentage of overweight Children has increased, by almost 50% in the last two decades of the 20th century… It has also been observed that about 40 percent of overweight children will continue to have increased weight during adolescence and 75-80% of obese adolescents will become obese adults” (National Institutes of Health). This proves that the increase in childhood obesity has led to an escalation in obesity in adults.
Health is important because the healthier you are the less likely you are to have illnesses and injuries and the more likely you are to be able to help out others in your community. Health has three components to it. Health includes physical activity, healthy diet, and mental health. Unhealthy lifestyles are usually expressed through obesity. Although, you can eat healthy and not exercise, and vise versa, the maximum level of health is achieved through the combination of physical activity, healthy diet, and good mental health. Being healthy is important because it brings out the best in a person.
The biggest health crisis in our nation is obesity (Carmona, 2003). It affects everyone everywhere. In today’s society, one out of every three children are considered obese (“overweight and obesity,” 2009). Child obesity has become a raging conflict and solutions must be presented to reduce it.
Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Being overweight and obese has become more prevalent and increased during the last three decades in both adults and children. Currently, 25 million children in the United States are obese or overweight (Babey, Wolstein, Diamant, Bloom, and Goldstein, 2011). The rise in childhood obesity and related health diseases are indicators of a decrease in life expectancy and increased individual and societal costs (Olshansky et al., 2005).
Childhood obesity rates in United States have skyrocketed thus making it a major public health concern. “There is a rapid climb in the prevalence of obesity in children in the United States over the last two decades such that in 2009-2010, 16.9% of US children and adolescents were obese”(Karnick, & Kanekar, 2014, p. 2). Today more than 23 million children and teens in US, nearly three in one young people are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity threatens the health of our young people now and their future potential. They are at high risk for serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Also they miss more school and have more psychological stress and are more likely
Recently, a claim was made that worldwide obesity has become a growing issue. The global population is expanding, as well as the weight of humans. Obesity rates throughout the world have increased, as 1.9 billion adults have been overweight and 600 have obese since 2014. A majority of countries have experienced an increase in obesity rates between the years of 2010 and 2014. Obesity is not just a worldwide issue for adults, but is also an issue for children. 42 million children were known to be obese and overweight in 2013 causing countries to fight against obesity among children. The increasing rates of
One of the main epidemics effecting our society is obesity. In a more focused aspect, childhood and adolescent obesity have become an increasing problem. According to the CDC “Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.” (CDC). As a result many health scientists have tried to focus on ways to combat this growing epidemic.
Obesity is becoming an outrageous and alarming health issue in today’s society. Children are rapidly getting engulfed by this pandemic every day. According to the book Public Health 101: Health People-Healthy Populations, pandemic can be defined as, “An epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and affecting a large number of people” (Riegelman, Kirkwood, 2015). The World Health Organization estimates that 43 million children worldwide are overweight or obese, with the United States leading the numbers (WHO, 2016). About one in three children and teenagers in America are obese. Obesity can lead to a variety of other serious health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, high blood pressure, and other health risks. Finding effective interventions and programs to reverse obesity rates is essential. Obesity is one hundred percent preventable and treatable.
Obesity has become a major epidemic affecting many children and adolescents worldwide. According to Raj and Kumar (2010), obesity can affect anyone, regardless of sex, age, or social background (para 4). According to research, obesity rates in children and adolescents have soared globally, and continue to impact those living in both developed and developing countries. Among the countries with the highest obesity percentage rate include: United States of America, China, India, Brazil, India, Russia, Egypt, and more. However, United States was found with the highest percentage rate of obesity.
Childhood obesity has increased drastically over the past years and has become a high health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and doctor’s diagnose a patient by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. Since little effort has been put forward to prevent childhood obesity the existence of this disease has begun to skyrocket in numbers. The number of children who suffer from obesity have greatly increased over the years so, people have to come up with a solution to prevent obesity. However, it will take more than just one solution to prevent childhood obesity, it will take many. Without the prevention of obesity future generations could be in serious trouble with health issues. Childhood obesity should be prevented by showing the youth that healthy will benefit them in life, therefore, parents start by guiding children in the correct direction with their eating habits, limit their fast food intake, and fight the market for unhealthy foods so that children are not exposed to unhealthy options.
The Surgeon General’s Office, First Lady Obama, and many other prominent officials have called to action campaigns to address obesity as public health issue which leads to many other chronic care issues. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries. Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and 11% are obese. Overweight and obesity in childhood are known to have significant impact on both physical and psychological health. The mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes. Environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment play pivotal roles in the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide. Childhood obesity now affects 1 in 6 children and adolescents in the United States (CDC, 2015). In 2011-2012, (Ogen, Caroll, Kit, Flegal,
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and serious chronic disease state that plagues all ages and races. Globally 1.7% of people are classified as obese, with body mass indexes (BMI) of 30 or higher (Sonnenberg, Matfin, & Reinhardt, 2007). According to Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, and Curtin (2010) 35% of men and 35.5% of women in the United States (U.S.) are obese. The prevalence of childhood obesity is steadily climbing each year with the ensuing repercussions of adult disease states now being diagnosed in children and teens (Ben-Sefer, Ben-Natan, & Ehrenfeld, 2010). Hence, the race for finding an answer to weight control has become a priority.
America is currently the “ninth most obese country in the world” (Peloquin). Obesity is a massive issue, and it's incredibly preventable. Different approaches are currently in the works, attempting to fix the issue; however, not much has changed. A problem that stems from this point is childhood obesity which if not corrected turns into a much more significant problem that can include diseases.