Persuasive Essay On Childhood Obesity

Within the last 30 years, there has been an increase in childhood obesity that is alarming for parents, health care professionals, and children advocates. This epidemic is a result of children not participating in regular exercise and eating high caloric, fast food. We can combat this epidemic by increasing the education to the family and encourage more physical activity and nutritious foods.

Childhood obesity is not merely an issue in the United States- it is an epidemic. The number of overweight and obese children in America has increased at an alarming rate over the past years, and there is no chance of it slowing down unless action is taken. Obesity puts children at a high risk of developing many serious illnesses. Not only do children who are obese have unhealthy weights, but they also have a high risk of having weak lungs, poor blood quality, and a variety of other sicknesses. Parents have turned a blind eye to their children’s eating habits. A fast-food craze has swept over the country, consequentially leaving a trail of poor nutrition in its wake. Fast-food corporations seem to be encouraging children to consume regular amounts of unhealthy foods by giving away toys with the purchase of a child’s meal Televisions, computers, and video games, which are considered to be technological necessities, have begun to cloud the importance of exercise. These influences are all major causes of childhood obesity, which bring an overwhelming abundance of negative effects. Despite the many obstacles, there are ways to slow, if not halt, the outbreak that is childhood obesity. Prevention can be achieved by following a balanced, mostly plant based diet and by participating in a healthy amount of physical activity.

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 poses a serious threat to the health of our nation. This generation of kids and young adults is unlike their parents. Instead of playing outside all day every day until the street lights come on; however, this generation got sick with coach potato syndrome and it struck these kids all across the nation, and it happened fast because the “U.S. childhood obesity rates are 3x greater than in 1980” (Childhood obesity). Being overweight during childhood increases the risk of developing diseases such as high cholesterol, orthopedic problems, depression and type two diabetes. However, it does not get any easier as an adult because most overweight children will likely become overweight adults. So, due to the severe consequences and publicity associated with childhood obesity, health and physical education specialists across the nation have focused their attention on strategies and solutions for reducing obesity

The problem of childhood obesity has been increasing for the past 30 years, many children do not eat family home made meals anymore, like it used to be decades ago, in this new generation children do not have the support they need or the motivation to believe that they can be on shape. According to the Alliance for healthier Generation. Nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) in the United States is overweight or obese, putting them at risk for serious health problems. This is a big issue that needs our critical attention. Consequently, the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity has been on the rise, some contributing factors are the lack of physical activity, the technology and marketing unhealthy foods. Our children are the heart of this wonderful planet.

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.

Childhood obesity is one of the major public health challenges of the 21st century. The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally. In 2013, the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated over 42 million. Childhood obesity can cause premature death and disability in adulthood. Overweight and obese children will grow up to become obese adults and are more likely to develop diseases like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at a younger age. Many factors can contribute overweight and obesity in children, however a global shift in dietary habits and lack of physical activity play a crucial role. Overweight and obesity are preventable. Unlike adults, children cannot select the environment they live or the food they eat, they are unware about the long term health consequences of their behavior. Therefore, it is important to have strict policies for the prevention of obesity epidemic. School play an important role in fighting against the epidemic of childhood obesity (World Health Organization, 2016). Even after the legislature has enacted laws to support school nutrition and physical education, many states including, Texas has not yet adopted these policies. It is important to have these policies in practice to prevent childhood obesity (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014). Government play an important role in making sustainable changes in public health. For that reason, the author is intended to

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently showcased the immense amount of children suffering obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person is excessively overweight. In the past twenty-five years the number of children who are obese has doubled for those who are of the ages of two to eleven and tripled for those who are twelve to nineteen. Many reasons exist for why a obesity exists, but “Confronting Childhood Obesity” emphasizes environmental causes at home and school that will eventually lead to many health issues for children.

Health has always been a topic of conversation in the United States. Of late, there has been more talk of the problem of childhood obesity. Over the past few decades there has been a pretty large increase of obese American children. Less exercise and less time playing outside combined with more eating of sugary, high calorie processed foods has caused a nationwide issue of overweight children. While there have been many initiatives to curb this epidemic like the First Lady’s get up and move campaign, it’s up to both parents and children to make changes in their lifestyle in order to lead a healthier life.

Childhood obesity is an ongoing epidemic that is plaguing adults and children alike. But it is affecting our children in a way that we cannot explain. Medically there is a cure for obesity. But everyone has to play there part if we are to rid this disease from our society. We have to gain information and awareness in order to defeat this disease.

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.

Childhood obesity prevalence rates have been steadily increasing in the United States and in 2010; it was identified in more than 42 million pre-schoolers (WHO, 2013). Obesity has various medical risks that are related to obesity in children including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnoea, asthma, dyslipidaemia, metabolic syndrome, orthopaedic complications, and a reduced life expectancy. Health promotion to combat childhood obesity is therefore needed to prevent childhood obesity and the medical risks associated with obesity. The theoretical framework that will be used is the behaviour change wheel which would guide research on health promotion techniques to prevent obesity. This essay reviews literature on health promotion for combating obesity.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that effects the youth of today. Improving the entire family’s diet and exercise habits is one of the best ways to achieve a healthy weight in the child. We need to teach our kids better eating habits, get them playing outside and get them active, and parents need to get more involved with the vending machines they are putting in schools and the food their children are being served; or these unhealthy habits will continue into

hildhood obesity is an enormous issue that affects the children’s current state of health, and it is predominant in the United States. Shumei Xu and Ying Xue, authors of the article “Pediatric Obesity: Causes, Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment”, states a startling fact that: “Obesity affects 34% of children in the USA, and is considered a top public health concern due to the high level of morbidity and mortality.” This is a grave issue since being morbidly obese is the cause of many negative effects, and it can inflict severe damage to a person’s internal system and occasionally be the cause of death. However, the rate of obesity can be decreased by promoting exercise and nutrition starting at a young age. Promoting these two important factors at such an early age will be effective because this will give the child a chance to combat obesity before it has even been introduced. Therefore, childhood obesity can be lowered in the United States if the school began employing nutritionists, implementing mandatory nutritional classes, and providing healthy food options starting as early as elementary school.

Childhood obesity may not seem like a serious problem, but it is a serious medical condition that can have major effects on a child. Although genetics play a role in determining a child’s weight, it is usually due to a child’s amount of exercise and the consumption of healthy meals. Doctors are concerned with the issue, as we all should be, and they are creating new programs that are geared toward helping children learn how to follow a healthier lifestyle. There are some promising outlooks with these programs, and most doctors agree that parents should help their children create a more active and healthy lifestyle. They also agree that the government should provide more attention to the issue as well. Since the growing problem of childhood