Persuasive Essay On Childhood Obesity

In the past three decades, rates of childhood obesity have increased precipitously. Between the years and 1980 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity has increased from 6.5% to 19.6% among 6 to 11 year old children and 5.0% to 18.1% among 12 to 19 year old adolescents x(National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). This condition is accompanied by many physical and psychological consequences for these children. There are two common postions in the debate about the causes of this condition. One belief of the cause of childhood obesity is that it is a question of “personal responsibility” or in the case of children, of “parental responsibility.” That is, increasing rates of obesity are due to

As years go by American weight struggle has been getting worse. People with diabetes today has more than double since 1994. While there are ways to help bring down obesity, most companies have not taken action. There are many factors to why obesity has only been increasing all these years.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America. "the percentage of obese children doubling from 6.5% in 1980, to 17.0% in 2006. Weight, nutrition, and physical activity are the main components to a child’s overall health.”(1) “When parents become too busy to cook meals in their homes, children learn poor eating habits and develop into unhealthy eaters.”(1) They will take what they learned at home and apply it to anywhere else that they eat. For example a child that drinks milk at dinner and sits with their family at dinner when asked what they want to drink when they are at a friend’s home will ask for milk because the child would associate milk with dinner. Children cannot make healthy choices of their own they need to be guided so

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

Childhood obesity is a global health crisis and an epidemic that has drastically increased over the years. A comprehensive report from 2010, revealed forty-two million children below the age of five suffer from obesity worldwide, which is a 50% increase since 1980 (Garel, 2014; Moore, Wilkie, & Desrochers, 2017). Not only is the issue of childhood obesity a public health threat, but it is also a form of child abuse with potentially fatal consequences. However, many people do not consider childhood obesity to be a child abuse issue. As a result, this topic is hugely controversial and has attracted some heated public debate. Even more controversial is the argument that the state should intervene on behalf of morbidly obese children. People opposed to the idea that the state should interfere in such matters often argue that blame cannot be placed solely on parents when there could be other factors involved, such as an underlying medical condition or a genetic predisposition to obesity. Moreover, some argue that the 14th amendment gives parents the right to raise their children how they choose and state intervention in such cases is an overreach of government power, and there are better ways to address the problem without removing children from homes (Garel, 2014). Although there are undoubtedly other factors that contribute to the widespread prevalence of childhood obesity, studies have shown that parents are primarily to blame for the growing problem (Wolfson, Gollust, Niederdeppe, & Barry, 2015). Parents indeed have the right to raise their children how they wish, as long as their children are healthy and thriving. If a child is in harm's way or is not adequately taken care of, then by law, the state must intercede on behalf of the child. Nevertheless, parents are responsible for the health and well-being of their children. Therefore, this paper is intended to show that morbid childhood obesity is a severe and life-threatening form of child abuse worthy of state intervention when parents fail to comply with lifestyle changes and recommended medical treatments.

Childhood Obesity is a growing epidemic within Australia. Studies have shown that children who are obese during their childhood are more likely to stay obese and are at an increased risk of developing both short and long-term health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes as they transition into adult hood, (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). Important key concepts can reduce the risk of childhood obesity such as educating individuals of the risks and the detrimental factors that childhood obesity can cause if left untreated. Health care professionals such as nurses, doctors and health practitioners all play an important role

One of the causes of the amplified rate of obesity in children is because of their poor diet. Many children are eating more fast food, junk food, and over processed meals and are not eating enough healthy meals. This can easily lead a child to obesity. Nevertheless, with numerous parents’ having a low income and schedules that are crammed full, many are opting for fast food or cheaper grocery options as an alternative to making healthy meals with nutritional ingredients. Fast food and less hearty meals can also result in getting hungry quicker, making it necessary for children to have a snack or another meal in just a couple of hours. Furthermore, parents’ should recognize that their children need healthy meals instead of opting for less nutritional alternatives. Ensuring that their children are eating healthy and are not accumulating too many calories can help parents’ combat the increasing rate of obesity

With the rise of cardiovascular diseases, it is the time that we create ways to incorporate more daily physical activity each day and emphasize health and nutrition with students. One approach I would take would be to warn the families of the importance’s of physical activity and good eating habits. A way to do that would be to set up a meeting where all health educators can come together to introduce fun and exciting activities that their children can participate in and present them with hard evidence of the rise of childhood obesity. Having this meeting will hopefully open parent’s eyes so they can start enforcing their child to eat better and be more active rather than having them sit behind a gaming system all day long. The goal is to hopefully make these students participate in physical activity for the rest of their lives.

Obesity is a very serious subject that a lot of people take lightly, especially us as Americans. America is the most obese country in the world. Statistics show that 300,000 people die a day in the United States of America due to obesity. This clearly shows that we have a serious problem that is massively underestimated. Obesity is also something that countries all across the world suffer from. For example, Australia is also one of the most obese countries in the world, and 50,000 people die a year from obesity in Australia. That’s 140 people who die per day in Australia. To solve the problem of obesity the prices of junk food should be raised and the prices of healthy food should be lowered and more convenient.

“Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years” (Adolescent and School Health), this is according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control. Obesity has become a national epidemic. This problem is not exclusive to the United States. The obesity rate has been rising all over the world. Many are confused by what it means to be obese. Obesity is having an excessive amount of body fat or a high BMI, body mass index, not just being overweight. The real concern here is the young age of many children who are obese. Childhood obesity is a problem that will continue to rise if not dealt with immediately. The future health problems obese children face is real and we need to act now to teach our children healthy eating and

Medical care and nutritional education of the children is obviously the parents’ responsibility, but so many parents are careless about basic nutrition and the need for exercise. In addition, how many parents just don’t have the gumption to “battle” with their preschoolers regarding what they eat? Some parents have the attitude that “at least they are eating SOMETHING”. We’ve all been there, at our wit’s end just trying to get a picky 2 year old toddler to eat some kind of fruit and then using the cookies, pudding cups, chips, or gummy snacks as a reward (or substitution). A parents control over meals and their attitudes toward dietary intake are factors that contribute to childhood obesity. “Hood et al. (2000) found in their study that disinhibited eating in the parents, when coupled with dietary restraint, may be associated with an increased risk for obesity in the child”.

Obesity is defined as a disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. Obesity is a nationwide epidemic, especially in today’s younger generation. This is caused by all the processed, fatty, fried junk food that is easily accessible everywhere. For instance, schools are promoting unhealthy eating habits by providing unhealthy lunches and allowing students to buy unhealthy junk food through vending machines and fundraising method. The government must begin financing for healthier food in schools to promote healthier eating habits as well as making unhealthy foods less accessible and healthy foods more accessible.

The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s (“Healthy Schools.”). Childhood obesity is a medical condition that affects children and teenagers who contain excess body fat. This condition is very common today, having about 3 million cases per year (“Healthy Schools.”). A sign that a child is suffering from obesity is when their weight is well above the average for a child’s height and age. Today about one in five school children, ages 6-19, are obese (“Healthy Schools.”). I will be addressing the causes, health complications, treatments, controversy, and supporting obese students.

In 2012, one third of adolescents were either overweight or obese and 18% of 6-11 year olds were obese; that is a staggering statistic (CDC). This can cause life long problems for these children. In this essay, I will show you that unhealthy food choices, lack of parental guidance, and a sedentary lifestyle are some of the leading causes of obesity in our children. For instance, these days with most parents having to work outside the home, there is not much time spent cooking healthy meals. Most children come home to an empty house and many do not know how to cook, so unless there is something prepared for them ahead of time, they head straight for the junk food. Plus, with all the inexpensive convenience foods that are on the shelves these days it makes it too easy for one to whip up a “family meal” or snack in just minutes in the microwave. The problem with these convenience foods is that they are usually high in fat, sugar, and calories (Sorte, Daeschel, Amador 5). Not only are convenience foods bad for you, but also too are the so-called “fast foods.”

My least favorite thing to see is an obese child. It sounds absolutely terrible but it's true and sad. It’s so sad to see a helpless little kid all chunky and to know they don’t understand how unhealthy they have become. Whats even worse is that kids should not have to worry about their health until they are old enough to understand it. So who is to blame for child obesity? Parents. Many parents are under the impression that because their child does not need to worry about their health, neither do they. Whether their excuse is that kids have fast metabolisms or that the fat will spread out as they get taller, they fail to think they need to worry about their own child's health. Not only do unhealthy lifestyles lead children to long-term medical issues such as risk for heart attacks, strokes, type two diabetes, and mental health concerns like depression, but it can also lead to insecurities about their body as well as difficulty changing their unhealthy habits in adulthood.