Obesity in Society Essay example

Childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk. Obesity in America is a big problem that has been growing over the years. “An estimated 12.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (Loop 2015). As the number of children being affected keeps growing, parents or guardians do not change the habits that lead their children to become obese. “Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood” (American Heart Association, 2014). Not only is obesity causing health problems more than before, but it also causing a big problem in America. More and more children every year become obese and it keeps growing. Even though some people believe the lifestyle of a person is not to blame for the childhood obesity problem in America, the technology, the parenting style , and the media of the outside world are huge factors that contribute to childhood obesity.

Obesity is a prominent issue not just because the public ignores it, but because the current consumer culture enables it. The key to solving any problem is to figure out the cause. The cause to obesity is simply the decisions made by the consumer and the producer. By examining the root cause of the problem, steps can be made to rectify the obesity epidemic in this country. One issue is, that companies are more concerned with what will make them fast, easy money than they are concerned with how their product will influence public health. Another issue is the decisions the consumer makes when buying food. Society is responsible with providing better choices, but it is up to the individual to make consistent, healthy decisions for themselves. However, the choice to eat something unhealthy has more complex roots with economics, time, and marketing. The means and resources are often not available to lower socioeconomic families when making the decision on what to buy. Like many daunting challenges that require reform, the obesity epidemic in this country is a complex problem with multiple variables. By examining the market-consumer relationship of the food industry, a few of the issues propagating the obesity epidemic can be studied and reformed.

If you have been anywhere near a TV screen or any other form of media outlet, lets say in the past ten years, you are probably aware of the word obesity. Probably not only just aware but have come to understand that as a nation we have been battling our own obesity epidemic on a super sized scale. We are continuously reminded of the physical consequences of obesity but not much coverage has raised awareness to the psychological outcomes. It has always been declared that the future of our nation lies in the hands of its children. They are the dreamers and the doers. The future depends greatly on the ideals and habits of its youth. So it is only logical that we continuously ensure both the health and strength of our youth. But with childhood obesity invading both mind and body of our children it is time we truly understand all aspects of this childhood obesity issue. As a nation if we begin to examine all influences and outcomes of childhood obesity, we will be able to more effectively fight it. Childhood obesity is not merely over eating. Childhood obesity is a result of a child’s surrounding environment and the influence of its society that hinders more than a child’s physical appearance. Childhood obesity in observance evidently leads to a lower quality of living and a long list of mental obstacles, obesity is caused not by an increased intake of calories but by the stress and quality of living a child has experienced.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern among today 's youth. As educators, we play a significant role in the progress of this epidemic along with parents, coaches, and other mentors. Recent studies show that only 9% of Canadian youth ages 5 to 17 get the recommended sixty minutes of exercise per day. Kids are spending more time on devices and technology, which is creating sedentary lifestyle habits (Goodlife Kids

Childhood obesity has become staggering in the United States. Children are considered obese if they have thirty percent amount of body fat or more and is measured by body mass index (BMI). Body mass index conveys the correlation of body weight to height. If a child’s BMI is at or exceeding over the 95th percentile, meaning if their body mass index is greater than 95% of other children that are the same sex and age, they are obese. Doctor Jeffrey Levi, an executive director of the Trust for America’s Health Organization and an advocate of the public health system, has declared along with his associates that childhood obesity rates have tripled since the year of 1980 (8). This committee oversees health issues like obesity and obesity-related diseases. In the year of 1991, children were 10-15% obese nationally, whereas today more than 25% of adolescents ages two to nineteen are considered obese. In our nation, there are many potential causes that contribute to obesity. A child’s socio-economic status, physical position, and eating habits shape the obesity stratum. Genetics have very limited impact, but behavioral and environmental factors augment the chances of a child reaching obesity. According to the Center of Disease Control, “the portion of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012…the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.”

The United States has even been called an overweight nation. About 20% to 30% of American adults are now considered obese. Even though some Americans are in the healthy category, others enter the underweight, overweight, and even obese categories. Not only is obesity unhealthy, but it is also considered unacceptable. People have been labeled and made fun of their entire lives due to obesity. For some this is an uncontrollable way of life. An example of this are shirts which say "No Fat Chicks", showing that overweight people are unacceptable and undesirable. People are made fun of, often never to regain full acceptance.

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,

Over the decades the paradigm or trend of young people increasing in body weight has changed. Obesity can be contributed to many different factors. With this new world of technology and social media there is still the prominent issue of obesity, although technology and the media is not all to blame. This arising issue can have derived by many different aspects, such as a person’s socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture, and not getting the right amount of physical activity. These aspects definitively lead to obesity and ultimately the negative feedback and oppression and discrimination from society.

Obesity may also impact how successful IVF is in women due to its effect on the uterine environment. A study performed by Bellver et. al. examined how female obesity impacted IVF outcomes by grouping women according to BMI and following up to see the outcome of implantations. There was a decreasing trend seen with implantation, pregnancy, and live birth rates as BMI units increased. When comparing fertilization rates and embryo quality on days 2 and 3 based on their morphology, there were no significant differences seen between the different BMI groups, indicating that there was similar embryo quality in all groups. With this finding and the knowledge that IVF is clearly affected by BMI, Bellver et. al. hypothesized that the lower trends

Today, as values of living continue to boost, weight increase and obesity are posing a rising threat to certain well-beings in countries all over the world. Obesity, now confirmed as a nationwide endemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is likely to get worse and amplify over time. “The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese” (Obesity: in Statistics, 2008, 2nd Statement). It is definite that most kids are inclined to eat junk food, and it is certain that most kids will become overweight as adults. About 15% of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years are overweight, which is an increase of 4% from the 1988-1994 NHANES study” (Chatterjee, Blakely, & Barton, 2005, p. 24). Statistics of obese persons in the United States alone are also greater in certain cultural and ethnic minority groups, especially African American and Hispanics.

The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.1, 2

According to the World Health Organization(WHO), obesity is one of the most serious public health issues of the 21st century, globally affecting 42 million children under the age of five years in the year 2010 alone. Obesity is a topic that has received much attention in recent years. It has affected many people in the past, is affecting people now, and will continue to affect people in the future unless actions are taken to change the way obesity is dealt with. For most people, the concern lies with their right to eat how they choose. This is a relevant concern, but allowing individuals to have that choice has led to higher health and medical costs for the individual, as well as for government programs. Obesity is no longer simply a

For many people, eating is a natural aspect of their lives, as is sleeping. However, for many others, food controls their lives. When people constantly think about food they tend to overeat and overeating leads to obesity. There has been an increase in obesity in children and adolescents over the past 30 years and estimates show that about a quarter of youth in developed countries are overweight or obese. Obesity is defined as having an abnormally high proportion of body fat, specifically a body mass index of 30 and above. This condition puts people at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, joint problems, and low self-esteem. Children don’t always grow out of weight problems like some parents may think. Overweight adolescents have a 70% of becoming overweight or obese adults. Besides watching TV, heavy computer use has also been linked to an increase in obesity particularly among adolescent girls.

Adolescent obesity has become more prevalent in today’s society. Case studies show that “ the implementation of a time limit for screen time is particularly important for younger children . However the risks associated with video games and computers are not as substantial as watching television. Both activities are not a substitution for physical activity. ” (Sandra L. Calvert, Amanda E. Staiano, Bradley J. Bond). Furthermore according to the Australian institute of health and wellness (2014) “n 2014-15, around one in four (27.4%) children aged 5-17 years were overweight or obese, this comprised of 20.2% overweight and 7.4% obese. There has been no change in the proportion of

Although obesity is a term that is very common to hear about, it is important to see the gravitation. Obesity is not just people in bigger than average clothes. Often people think of the popular TV show “Biggest Loser” when obesity is brought up in conversation. It is not important to get fit to fit into society, however, the real reason is to be healthy and live a long and happy life. Each year it is thought that 112,000 people die from obesity-related causes. Obesity causes other health scares, such as heart disease and cancer. Both are detrimental to one’s life. In addition, according to the article, physical education in schools, sport activity and total physical activity in adolescents, it states that “Less than half of adolescents reach the recommended 300 minutes per week of physical activity. Physical