Parental Influence Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in United States- it is an growing epidemic. Obesity epidemic in kids has increased by alarming rate just in last few decades. Nearly one in every five child is obese in the United States. If the pattern of obesity continued on most of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying young due to obesity. The American Heart Association reported this year that childhood obesity is the top health concern among parents in the United States, beating out smoking and drug abuse. My own younger siblings suffer with child obesity. Their craving for fast food and very limited physical activity has made them overweight and currently they suffer from health problems. Is this the future of our young generation? How much contribution should a parent have in their child’s diet? Fast food has taken over American diet and it has lead to poor nutritional diet among American youth. Fast food companies spend billion of dollars every year on commercials, convincing youth to love and eat their product. It’s just not our eating habits that has lead our young generation into obesity, lack of physical workout has also played a major role in obesity epidemic. TV, computer, video games and other technology entertainment has contributed to children getting no exercise. Obesity in children can put them in high risks of developing chronic and serious illness. Unhealthy weight leads to having weaker lungs, poor blood quality, heart

There have been studies conducted to find out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov & Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the world and can lead or result to other health complications later in life. The crucial breakdown serves as an implication of outlining childhood obesity, collaborating problems of the disease and resolutions, as well as applying critical thinking to give a complete approach to deliver information on childhood obesity. This will be done through citation of scholarly articles, samples and other modes of supporting details.

In 2014, two parents were arrested because their son was obese. The boy weighed 210 pounds; however, his parents did not consider his weight to be a problem. They did not think that being obese was a big deal. Like this case, these days, the rate of childhood obesity is increasing greatly, and childhood obesity is becoming a serious issue for children. Childhood obesity has many poor aspects for children. For instance, it is unhealthy for children’s bodies, and it also negatively influences their future bodies. Also, it causes bullying at school because of childhood obesity and truancy that are related to mental issues. Scholars assert that childhood obesity is the fault of parents; however, some scientists claims that it is due to genetics or diseases, such as an internal predisposition and hypothalamic disease. Despite these claims, the evidences shows that childhood obesity is a result of a lack of parental care, and parents should be held accountable on childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity fast becoming a worldwide epidemic, and according to the Bureau of Statistics (cited in Browne 2012, p.20), 23 per cent of children are overweight or obese in Australia. Browne (2012, p.20) suggests that by children being weighed regularly by their doctor, just as they were when they were babies and toddlers, it will help doctors and parents to closely monitor their weight. Although obesity is caused by an imbalance of the calories consumed with the output of energy through metabolism and exercise (O’Gorman et al., 2011; Wang, 2008), the reason/s for this imbalance can arise from several of the 10 social determinants (the social gradient, stress, early life, social exclusion, work, unemployment, social support, addiction,

Childhood obesity is becoming more of a medical concern everyday. With obesity rates up almost 10% since the 1970’s and it being the second leading cause of death in the United States it is becoming a problem that has lifelong consequence (Johnson 1 ). The cause of childhood obesity is more than just genetics, it is what influences the child from family and friends to the social aspect such as television. Although this is becoming an epidemic in the United States, there is still hope for a better future. Childhood obesity can be influenced by social factors and lead to severe medical issues but can be aided with the help of a lifestyle change.

I choose child hood obesity: Is it parental nurturing to blame? I believe its a very important topic that affects our youth today. Youth now a days watch a lot of tv and hardly go outside. They don 't eat a well balance meal and don’t exercise. The lack of activity and unbalance meals is making our youth obese. The author on this article La Rocca JD, blames the parents on children being obese. Blaming the lack of exercise and nutrition. Obesity if left untreated can cause psychological and medical diseases. La Rocca JD also points out that obesity does not discriminate among boys or girls and it occurs in all ages, races, and ethnic groups. Obesity refers to children between the age of 2-18 with a BMI as developed by the center of Disease control and Prevention. A body mass index that is above the 85th percentile for a child’s age puts int the child at risk for becoming overweight . Lets see how else La Rocca explains parents being the cause of childhood obesity.

Evaluation: I found some information that was useful, but also found it repeating from others that I have already read. I can use the information about preventing obesity to tie in with how schools and parents are a contributing factor to obesity. Otherwise, I don’t plan on using much information from this source.

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

The socio-structural elements that influence childhood obesity are socioeconomic status, environment, and education. Caprio et al. (2008) explained childhood experiences from different social classes have potential impact on childhood obesity. First, insufficient income among low-income families or families living in poverty can only afford the low cost of widely available poor nutrient foods such as fast foods, snacks, and soft drinks, which makes up a great proportion of their diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables prices have increased by almost 20% over the past two years and healthier food options are simply unaffordable among the low-income families.

Childhood obesity is a parenting problem in the fact that children do not prepare food and feed themselves. Children eat what is presented to them, by the adults that are supposed to be caring for them in the best possible ways. Children also look to parents for guidance in how to behave and act. If the adults are leading a sedentary or inactive lifestyle, the kids will follow suit. It is up to the parents to become educated in the PROPER ways to feed the children. Slow down, acquire the information you need and make a plan of action. Children cannot be, and stay healthy without parental support and guidance, if a child is obese due to poor lifestyle choices, then they have failed the child.

Obesity is now considered an epidemic stated by Hall and Elliman (2010) they also declared how around one to two thirds of children will go onto become obese. To be able to avert obesity there needs to be an understanding of what elements can cause obesity, but also to understand the harm it can have on the health and wellbeing of the child, this allows people to support children with the condition. This essay will delve deeper into this in relation to childhood obesity and how genetic, social and environmental factors can contribute to the problem of obesity. However to do so there needs to be an understanding of what health and wellbeing actually means. The world Health Organisation states health and wellbeing is “a complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organisation, 2015). The Department of Health (2010) also state how health is seen as more than just the age you will live until and the presence or absence of disease. They additionally state how wellbeing is a positive physical, social and mental state. These two statements now help with underpinning the different elements of health and wellbeing and what it means to different people. To start off with the first aspect of this essay will be looking at the impact obesity has on the child’s health in relation to physical, social-emotional and intellect.

Obesity is a specific measure in which person has a more weight than a normal being or it can also be defined as excess deposition of fat in our body. Nowadays, obesity can be seen more commonly in children. Presently, 59% out of the total Canadians are obese and the childhood obesity has been increased from 14% to 29%. It is a serious health issue for children as well as adults. According to Sahoo et al. (2015), females are more obese than males due to various hormonal changes. There are various factors that cause obesity in children like diet, genetics, and lifestyle.

“Parental behavioral patterns concerning shopping, cooking, eating and exercise have an important influence on a child’s energy, balance and ultimately their weight” said diet specialist, Anne Collins (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). Childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1980’s (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). Childhood obesity often leads to obesity as an adult which can put a person at greater risks dealing with the heart, diabetes, and many other obese related diseases. People want to blame the schools and today’s technology for childhood obesity, in reality, the responsibility lies in the hands of their parents.

When speaking of her 8-year old daughter's obesity, a prideful mother replies "Oh it's no big deal, she just still has her baby fat." Unfortunately, chances are that the daughter's obesity is not caused by her baby fat, but can be contributed to a combination of diet, genetics, and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that obesity among children 6-17 years of age, has increased by 50% in the last 20 years, with the most dramatic increase seen in children ages 6-11 (Axmaker, 1). This obvious epidemic has raised great concern in the medical community because widespread childhood obesity has increased the prevalence of the once rare juvenile diabetes and pediatric hypertension (Bastin, 45). This concern has prompted intense investigation

It is widely argued that childhood obesity has gained a lot of attention in the recent years especially in the 21st century. It has the ability to affect a child in many ways, including physically, mentally, sociologically and psychologically. Childhood obesity is a serious health concern that is partially causes by the careless decisions about food intake, physical activity and lack of parental concerns and knowledge towards a child’s health. According to World Health Organization (WHO) childhood obesity is defined as a serious medical condition where a child has abnormal amount of body fat, which becomes a risk to their health. However, the body mass index (BMI) is the most common method employed in measuring obesity. The BMI is calculated by obtaining one’s weight (kg) and dividing it by their height in square metres. Nevertheless, this paper will discuss some of the causes and implications of the problem represented (Thom, 2007) along with some of the associated discourse, including the assumptions and what is left silenced (Thom, 2007). These topics will be discussed in consideration of Mills’ (1959) Sociological Imagination and also Bacchi’s (2009) WPR frameworks.